Heine, Heinrich, << HY nuh, HYN rihkh >> (1797-1856), ranks among the most popular writers in German literature. Several of Heine’s poems are so well known they are considered part of German folklore. Heine’s poetry has been set to music by such composers as Franz Schubert of Austria and Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms, both of Germany.
Heine was born on Dec. 13, 1797, in Düsseldorf. Much of his early poetry was collected in the Book of Songs (1827). This collection of love poetry is Heine’s best-known work and the most famous book of poetry in German literature. The poems are described as “bittersweet” because they combine simplicity and beauty with an irony that gives them a cynical tone. The most famous is “The Lorelei.”
Heine’s early prose is a unique combination of fiction and essay that was often imitated. Much of it was published in four volumes of Travel Pictures (1826-1831). Like most of Heine’s writings, these are characterized by wit, irony, clarity, and intelligence.
Heine was one of the “Young Germans,” a group of writers who were political radicals (see German literature (The Young Germany)). He was attracted to the atmosphere of liberalism in France and moved to Paris in 1831. He lived there for the rest of his life. In Paris, Heine tried to bring about understanding between France and Germany, traditional enemies. He wrote a series of essays and newspaper articles to explain to the Germans the newly organized French constitutional monarchy. He described German culture to the French in The Romantic School (1833), On the History of Religion and Philosophy in Germany (1835), and other books.
Heine grew increasingly bitter about the lack of freedom in Germany, and his books were banned in that country in 1835. Heine satirized the German political situation in two long mock-epic poems, Germany, A Winter’s Tale (1844) and Atta Troll, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1847).
Heine became paralyzed in 1848 and was confined to a “mattress-grave,” as he called his bed, for the rest of his life. But his sufferings did not destroy his wit, intelligence, or literary talent. He continued to write on cultural, political, and religious topics. He also produced two collections of poetry—Romancero (1851) and Poems 1853-1854. He died on Feb. 17, 1856.
