Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) is regarded as a poet of radical change, a pioneer of the modern age in literature. Today he is well-known as the author of extremely influential dramas, stories and comedies such as Kaethchen of Heilbronn, Michael Kohlhaas or The Broken Jug. Originating from an old aristocratic family, Kleist’s life was full of changes but also tragic. While the poet’s works occasionally met with rejection and harsh criticism during his lifetime and his opportunities to exercise an influence were relatively small, 200 years after his death by suicide Kleist is seen as one of the greatest authors in the German language. During a shifting history of reception, Heinrich von Kleist’s literary legacy has won general popularity and above all the interest of scholars and artists.

Ewald Christian von Kleist, born on his father’s estate Zeblin near Köslin in Pomerania in 1715, went to grammar school in Gdansk and the University of Königsberg. He entered military service as a Danish officer in 1736. In 1741, Kleist joined the Prussian Army as a second lieutenant in the 35th Infantry Regiment of Prince Heinrich of Prussia in Potsdam. Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, who lived in Potsdam at the time, was the first to awaken his literary talent. An idyllic poem written in hexameters, Der Frühling (The Spring, 1749), is considered to be the most important work by Kleist, who cultivated friendships with Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, Karl Wilhelm Ramler, Friedrich Nicolai and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. In 1756, Ewald Christian von Kleist was promoted to major after having participated, among other things, in the Second Silesian War. In the same year, his book Gedichte von dem Verfasser des Frühlings appeared. In Leipzig, where he was appointed director of a military field hospital, the poet of the Enlightenment began work on his short epic poem Cissides und Pache. In May 1758, Kleist was a follower of Prince Heinrich’s corps, which drove the Imperial Army beyond Hof. Kleist was seriously wounded in the battle near Kunersdorf on 12th August 1759, at which Friedrich II suffered his worst defeat in the Seven Years’ War. On the orders of a Russian officer, Kleist was taken to Frankfurt (Oder), where he died from his wounds in the house of Gottlob Samuel Nicolai on 24th August 1759. The Russian garrison buried Ewald Christian von Kleist with full honours in the northern section of the cemetery near the Hospital St. Spiritus

Today, Franz Alexander von Kleist (1769-1797) is the least known of poets named “Kleist”. During his military service in Halberstadt he came into contact with Johann Ludwig Gleim and began his literary work. He left the military in 1790 to work as a legation councillor in Berlin. After his marriage to Albertine von Jungk, he retired from state service and moved to Falkenhagen estate, not far from Frankfurt (Oder). The main themes of Franz Alexander von Kleist’s didactic, instructive poems were love and marriage. They are interesting to cultural historians, as they anticipate the era of Romanticism in places. 

Fouqué, who came from an old aristocratic French Huguenot family from Brandenburg an der Havel, joined the Prussian Army as a young man. Having participated in the Rhine campaign of 1794, as well as serving as a lieutenant and cavalry captain with the voluntary riflemen in battles of the War of Liberation in both 1813 and 1815, Fouqué became known as the author of works such as Dramatische Spiele (1804), Romanzen vom Thal Ronceval (1805), Alwin (1808), Undine (1811) and the romance novels Der Zauberring (1813) and Die Fahrten Thiodulfs, des Isländers (1815). Under the patronage of August Wilhelm Schlegel, the romantic poet also wrote various works under the pseudonyms Pellegrin and A.L.T. Frank. Among other things, Fouqué wrote contributions to the journal Phöbus published by Heinrich von Kleist and to the Berliner Abendblätter. In 1803, Fouqué married the writer Caroline von Rochow.

Caroline Philippine de la Motte Fouqué, nee von Briest – described as a beautiful woman with a lively intellect –, married a lieutenant of the Garde du Corps, Friedrich Ehrenreich Adolph Ludwig Rochus von Rochow, at the age of sixteen. The marriage was a failure. In 1799, Caroline and her children returned to the family estate Nennhausen near Rathenow and in January 1803 she married a former lieutenant of the 6th Cuirassier Regiment, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Like her husband, after the wedding Caroline began to publish literary texts, which made her one of the few women of her era and social station who pursued an occupation besides domestic and representative duties. Caroline de la Motte Fouqué wrote ca. 20 novels, 60 stories, poems and theoretical tracts, as well as cultural historical essays. She published some works anonymously, e.g. the anti-cultural novel Rodrich, or under the pseudonym Serena. The extensive oeuvre of the romantic writer includes works such as Drei Mährchen (1806), Feodora (1814), Frauenliebe (1818) or Die graue Maske (1829). Geschichte der Moden, vom Jahre 1785 bis 1829. Beytrag zur Geschichte der Zeit (1829/30) is generally regarded as her most important work.