The article examines the ‚Lyrisches Tagebuch‘ (1885) by the Berlin author and critic Karl Bleibtreu, and questions the programmatic dimension of its title. While the reference to a diary, in the title, suggests a focus on the poet’s real individuality, Bleibtreu’s poetry collection does not live up to the expectations raised. The structure of the ‚Lyrisches Tagebuch‘ only sporadically refers to that of a diary. Moreover, the heterogeneity of its content and the diversity of the speakers of the poems prevent Bleibtreu’s collection from being seen as an imitation of a diary. The revolutionary approach claimed by Bleibtreu in his theoretical writings fails in practice, since his writings remain locked into a classical view of the relationship between literature and reality, poetry and individuality, which has been dominant in Germany since Goethe.