heine

Heinrich Heine, full name Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), was a German poet, essayist, and literary critic of Jewish origin. Born in Düsseldorf, he studied law at the universities of Bonn and Berlin before turning to literature. From 1831 he lived mainly in Paris, where he developed a cosmopolitan voice and contributed to liberal political journalism while remaining a central figure in German-language poetry.

His best-known works include the lyric collection Buch der Lieder (1827), the travel sketches Reisebilder (begun in 1826), and the political satire Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen (1844). Heine’s poetry blends Romantic imagination with irony, musicality, and a critical stance toward religion and state authority. Themes include love and longing, exile, homeland, and the pressures of modern society, as well as questions of Jewish identity in a hostile culture.

Heine’s influence extended beyond poetry into prose and journalism, shaping 19th-century liberal and cosmopolitan thought. His poems were widely set to music by composers such as Robert Schumann (Dichterliebe) and Johannes Brahms (Die schöne Magelone), helping to integrate his lyric voice into a broader cultural repertoire.

Heine died in Paris in 1856 and was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery. His work is seen as a bridge between Romanticism and modern lyric, notable for its wit, irony, and persistent questioning of authority and tradition.