Jean Paul

Jean Paul (March 21, 1763 – November 14, 1825), born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter was a German author.

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March 21 - 1763 - November 14 - 1825

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He was born in Wunsiedel (Fichtelgebirge), Germany, and his father was an organist and village pastor. He grew up in poor circumstances and went to school in Hof, where he lived with his grandparents. He studied theology and philosophy in Leipzig from 1781 to 1784, but he was unable to finish his studies due to poverty. From 1790 to 1794, he worked as a teacher in a school he had founded in Schwarzenbach and wrote on the side.

Related Topics:
Germany - Leipzig - 1781 - 1784 - 1790 - 1794

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His first literary success was Die unsichtbare Loge in 1793. Finally, he had sufficient income to devote himself entirely to his writing. In 1795, Hesperus was published. It was the greatest hit since Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers and made Jean Paul famous.

Related Topics:
1793 - 1795 - Goethe - Die Leiden des jungen Werthers

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From 1798 to 1800, he lived in Weimar, where he met Herder, Goethe, and Schiller. In the spring of 1800 he met Karoline Meyer on a trip to Berlin, and they married a year later. They had two children. Until 1803, he was Legationsrat in Meiningen, Coburg, and Bayreuth. His son Max died in 1821, and this was a great blow to Jean Paul. He became blind in 1824.

Related Topics:
1798 - 1800 - Weimar - Herder - Goethe - Berlin - 1803 - Bayreuth - 1821 - 1824

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He died in Bayreuth of pneumonia.

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