Famous 18th Century German Writers
Find out more about the greatest 18th Century German Writers, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Adam Weishaupt, Heinrich Heine and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.
Vote for Your Favourite 18th Century German Writers
Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
1
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(Novelist Best Known for 'The Sorrows of Young Werther', the First Novel of The Sturm Und Drang Movement)
Birthdate: August 28, 1749
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Goethe House, Frankfurt, Germany
Died: March 22, 1832
Regarded as the greatest literary figure in Germany's modern era, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a statesman and writer. Apart from writing poetry and prose, he also wrote treatises on color, anatomy, and botany. Thanks to his literary genius, Goethe was made part of the Duke's privy council in Weimar and he implemented several reforms at the University of Jena.
2
Friedrich Schiller(Playwright and Poet Known for His Works 'The Robbers', 'Don Carlos' and 'Mary Stuart')
Birthdate: November 10, 1759
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Marbach am Neckar, Germany
Died: May 9, 1805
Friedrich Schiller was a German poet, physician, philosopher, playwright, and historian. Schiller is best remembered for his friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the two discussed issues concerning aesthetics. Schiller's discussions with Goethe paved the way for a period, which came to be known as Weimar Classicism. Friedrich Schiller is also widely regarded as Germany's most prominent classical playwright.
Birthdate: January 24, 1776
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Königsberg, Germany
Died: June 25, 1822
E. T. A. Hoffmann was a German author, jurist, artist, composer, and music critic. His stories served as an inspiration and laid the foundation for The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach. The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is also based on Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Hoffmann is among the most influential authors of the Romantic Movement.
4
Johann Gottfried Herder
(Philosopher, Theologian, Poet, and Literary Critic)
Birthdate: August 25, 1744
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Morąg, Poland
Died: December 18, 1803
German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder is best remembered as a significant figure of the Sturm und Drang literary movement. Born into poverty and largely self-educated till 17, he later became a disciple of Immanuel Kant and was associated with Enlightenment and Weimar Classicism. He was eventually ennobled.
5
Novalis(German Romantic Poet and Philosopher Known for His Poems ‘Hymns to the Night’ and ‘Spiritual Songs’)
Birthdate: May 2, 1772
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wiederstedt, Germany
Died: March 25, 1801
Poet and philosopher Friedrich Leopold, better known as Novalis, was a significant figure of German Romanticism. He narrated the loss of his 15-year-old fiancé to tuberculosis in his Hymns to the Night. He himself died of the disease a few years later. He was also well-versed in natural sciences.
6
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
(German Writer, Dramatist, Art Critic and a Spokesperson of the Enlightenment Era)
Birthdate: January 22, 1729
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kamenz, Germany
Died: February 15, 1781
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a noted German dramatist, critic, and author, remembered especially for his contribution towards liberating German theatre from the influence of its classical and French counterpart. Known for such literary masterpieces like Miss Sara Sampson; Emilia Galotti; Minna von Barnhelm; Nathan the Wise; Laocoön; Hamburg Dramaturgy, he is now considered an outstanding representative of the Enlightenment era.
7
Wilhelm Grimm
(German Anthropologist, Author and One Half of the Popular Literary Duo, 'The Brothers Grimm')
Birthdate: February 24, 1786
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hanau
Died: December 16, 1859
Wilhelm Grimm was a German anthropologist and author. He is best remembered as one half of the popular literary duo, the Brothers Grimm. Along with his elder brother Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm published a collection of fairy tales in 1812. It was later translated into English and came to be known as Grimms' Fairy Tales.
8
Friedrich Schleiermacher
(German Theologian, Philosopher and an Early Leader in Liberal Christianity)
Birthdate: November 21, 1768
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: February 12, 1834
Hailed as an early leader of liberal Christianity, Lutheran philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher was also an eminent biblical scholar and theologian. Best remembered for his works on hermeneutics and theory of translation, he also had a great impact on the evolution of higher criticism and became known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity.
Birthdate: December 8, 1723
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Edesheim, Germany
Died: January 21, 1789
10
Heinrich von Kleist
(One of the Leading Lights of German Literary Romanticism)
Birthdate: October 18, 1777
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany
Died: November 21, 1811
Dissatisfied with his army career, Heinrich von Kleist had also studied law and math but quit studies later to devote himself to writing. Part of German Romanticism, he penned iconic plays such as The Schroffenstein Family and Hermann’s Battle. He eventually shot himself and his lover Henriette in a murder-suicide.
11
Jean Paul(German Romantic Writer Best Known for His Humorous Novels and Stories)
Birthdate: March 21, 1763
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wunsiedel, Germany
Died: November 14, 1825
Jean Paul was a German writer best remembered for his humorous stories and novels. While many of his fans hold him in high regard, his critics treat his work with indifference. Due to such a disparity, Paul holds an unusual position in German literary history. Robert Schumann admired Jean Paul's works, which served as an inspiration to the former's Papillons.
12
Emanuel Schikaneder
(Impresario)
Birthdate: September 1, 1751
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Straubing, Germany
Died: September 21, 1812
13
Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi
(Philosopher)
Birthdate: January 25, 1743
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Died: March 10, 1819
Birthdate: March 10, 1772
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hannover, Germany
Died: January 12, 1829
Birthdate: September 9, 1778
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Koblenz, Germany
Died: July 28, 1842
16
Adolf Franz Friedrich, Freiherr von Knigge
(Writer)
Birthdate: October 16, 1752
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bredenbeck, Germany
Died: May 6, 1796
Birthdate: March 29, 1641
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Karlstadt am Main, Germany
Died: June 27, 1707
18
August Wilhelm Schlegel
(German Indologist, Poet, Translator and Critic)
Birthdate: September 8, 1767
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hanover, Germany
Died: May 12, 1845
19
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
(Writer)
Birthdate: February 12, 1777
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brandenburg, Germany
Died: January 23, 1843
20
Engelbert Kaempfer
(Naturalist)
Birthdate: September 16, 1651
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lemgo, Germany
Died: November 2, 1716
Seventeenth-century German physician and traveler Engelbert Kaempfer had been on trade missions across the world, including places such as Russia, Iran, Java, and Japan. His written experiences about his stay in Japan became a valuable source of information on the flora and fauna of the country.
Birthdate: November 14, 1874
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: February 2, 1945
22
Christoph Martin Wieland
(Poet)
Birthdate: September 5, 1733
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Achstetten, Germany
Died: January 20, 1813
23
Francis Daniel Pastorius
(Educator)
Birthdate: September 26, 1651
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sommerhausen, Germany
Died: 1720 AD
24
Anton Schindler
(Conductor, Writer, Musicologist, Music historian, Biographer, Composer)
Birthdate: June 13, 1795
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Medlov
Died: January 16, 1864
Birthdate: May 16, 1788
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Schweinfurt, Germany
Died: January 31, 1866
26
Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock
(German poet)
Birthdate: July 2, 1724
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Quedlinburg, Holy Roman Empire
Died: March 14, 1803
27
Ernst Moritz Arndt
(Historian)
Birthdate: December 26, 1769
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rügen, Germany
Died: January 29, 1860
28
Adelbert von Chamisso
(German Poet Who Was Also a Noted Botanist and Philologist)
Birthdate: January 30, 1781
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sivry-Ante, France
Died: August 21, 1838
German poet and lyricist Adelbert von Chamisso, who lived in the 19th century, is chiefly remembered for his legendary fairy tale, Peter Schlemihl’s Remarkable Story. He also established the Berlin romanticist society Nordsternbund and was a noted botanist, too. He was also interested in philology and Australasian languages.
29
Alois Senefelder
(Actor and playwright who invented the printing technique of lithography in the 1790s)
Birthdate: November 6, 1771
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Died: February 26, 1834
30
August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben
(Poet)
Birthdate: April 2, 1798
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Fallersleben, Wolfsburg, Germany
Died: January 19, 1874
31
Rudolf Erich Raspe
(Librarian)
Birthdate: 1736
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hannover, Germany
Died: November 1, 1794
Birthdate: May 19, 1771
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: March 7, 1833
33
August von Kotzebue
(Playwright)
Birthdate: May 3, 1761
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Weimar, Germany
Died: March 23, 1819
34
Ferdinand Christian Baur
(Theologian)
Birthdate: June 21, 1792
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Schmiden, Germany
Died: December 2, 1860
Birthdate: April 26, 1787
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tübingen, Germany
Died: November 13, 1862
Birthdate: April 6, 1660
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Geising, Germany
Died: June 5, 1722
37
Johanna Schopenhauer
(Writer)
Birthdate: July 9, 1766
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Gdańsk, Poland
Died: April 17, 1838
38
Ignaz von Döllinger
(Theologian)
Birthdate: February 28, 1799
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bamberg, Germany
Died: January 10, 1890
Birthdate: October 7, 1794
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dessau, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
Died: September 30, 1827
40
Leo von Klenze
(Architect)
Birthdate: February 29, 1784
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Schladen, Germany
Died: January 26, 1864
41
Gottfried August Bürger
(Poet)
Birthdate: December 31, 1747
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Molmerswende, Mansfeld, Germany
Died: June 8, 1794
Birthdate: August 15, 1740
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Reinfeld, Germany
Died: January 21, 1815
43
Joseph von Görres
(Writer)
Birthdate: January 25, 1776
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Koblenz, Germany
Died: January 29, 1848
44
Johann Peter Eckermann
(Poet)
Birthdate: September 21, 1792
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Winsen, Germany
Died: December 3, 1854
45
Wilhelm Gesenius
(Biblical critic)
Birthdate: February 3, 1786
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Nordhausen, Germany
Died: October 23, 1842
46
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
(Poet)
Birthdate: March 24, 1739
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Obersontheim, Germany
Died: October 10, 1791
Birthdate: December 14, 1720
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Osnabrück, Germany
Died: January 8, 1794
48
Johann Christoph Gottsched
(German Philosopher, Author and Critic of the Age of Enlightenment)
Birthdate: February 2, 1700
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Juditten, Kaliningrad, Russia
Died: December 12, 1766
Johann Christoph Gottsched was a German author, philosopher, and critic. Although he exercised an undisputed literary dictatorship for about 30 years in Germany, Gottsched had become a personification of foolish pedantry during his later years. Nevertheless, Gottsched played a major role in the development of German literature. He also served as the editor of many journals dedicated to literary criticism.
49
Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
(Author)
Birthdate: July 13, 1773
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: February 13, 1798
50
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert
(Poet)
Birthdate: July 4, 1715
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hainichen, Germany
Died: December 13, 1769