Heinrich Heine
(1797–1856)

Celebrated for his love poetry, German poet Heinrich Heine was born in Düsseldorf. He bypassed careers in both business and law to pursue his writing. The poetry of romantic folk-song poets inspired Heine, and in 1827, he put together a collection of his best poetry, called Book of Songs. The original love interest in Heine's early poetry was his cousin, Amalie, and later her younger sister, Therese, neither of whom returned his affection. The vast popularity and expressive quality of these poems have stirred many great composers to write music to his lyrics.

Following his involvement in the revolutionary literary movement Young Germany, Heine's focus of writing transitioned from the romantic to the realistic. In 1831, he left for Paris in support of the French Revolution and took up work as a correspondent for German newspapers. His scornful accounts of German social and political beliefs in The Romantic School (1833–1835) and "On the History of Religion and Philosophy in Germany" (1834–1835) were ultimately banned in his homeland. Despite the surrounding controversy, Heinrich Heine still ranks today among the most exceptional writers of the nineteenth century.

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