Heinrich Heine Biography

Heinrich Heine was a German poet, writer and literary critic. Popular across the world, especially for his lyric poetry, his works were often set to music by composers like Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. His book ‘Buch der Lieder’ (The Book of Songs) is one of his best and internationally reputed works. Heine was born to Jewish parents in Dusseldorf, Germany. He completed his higher education in Gottingen, Bonn and Berlin. Though he studied law, he eventually turned his attention to literature and poetry. Later on, he was forced to convert to a Protestant because of the anti-Jewish sentiments and laws of the time. He became part of the Young German Movement. Over the years, he published many books that became popular among readers. Due to his radical political views, the German state banned many of his works. However, this only helped them gain further popularity. Some of his well-known works are ‘Buch der Lieder’ (The Book of Songs), ‘Die Romantische Schule’ (The Romantic School), and ‘Neue Gedichte’ (New Poems). Due to suppression by the government, he eventually fled to France. He passed away at the age of 58 in Paris.