German poet Heinrich Heine’s writings serve as literary examples of the Romantic period. As a critic and publicist, he presented contemporary issues in a sophisticated and light-hearted manner. Over time, the greatest composers in the world set tunes to the poet’s poetry and used them to present Heine’s work.
Early Life And Adolescence
The full name of the author was Heine, Christian Johann Heinrich. The boy was the oldest of four children born to a Jewish family in Dusseldorf on December 13, 1797. Samson, Heine’s father, was a Rhineland trader. While raising the children, his mother Betty showed a strong interest in and knowledge of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s writings. She was concerned about the boy’s future and adored him. Betty thought of him as a financier, lawyer, or military, but Heine Jr.’s destiny was otherwise.
The boy’s early years were occupied by the French throughout this time. Europe was experiencing a liberal boom at the period, and the creative person’s worldview responded to the prevailing fashions. Heinrich started attending a Catholic lyceum at the age of 13. He started working as a Frankfurt banker’s assistant when he was sixteen, but he left because he didn’t find the work appealing. Subsequently, his parents moved their kid to Hamburg, where he studied the fundamentals of trading under the guidance of financier Uncle Solomon.
Heinrich was given charge of a modest business to run in 1818. Because he didn’t grasp accounting, he failed the mission. Simultaneously, Heine initiated communication with his mother’s side of the family. Upon seeing that his nephew would not succeed as an entrepreneur, Uncle Simon Geldern encouraged him to go to the University of Bonn. After reading Swift and Cervantes, Heinrich became interested in the humanities and was unable to picture his life without literature. He also had a fascination with folklore, which he incorporated into his later creations.
Heine enrolled at the University of Bonn’s law school before moving quickly to the University of Göttingen. Heinrich was banished after just over a year owing to a duel. Despite the partying and escapades of his undergraduate years, the young man never lost sight of his love of science. He enrolled at the University of Berlin in 1821.
The young man went to salons and made friends with Germany’s literary scene. Heine took courses in history from August Schlegel and philosophy of religion from Georg Hegel at the university. These masters influenced his opinions. The dissertation defense of the student was held in Göttingen.
He was granted the title of doctor there in 1825. Heine was compelled to embrace Lutheranism in order to obtain his diploma because Jews were not allowed to possess the necessary paperwork. However, this did not imply that the poet gave up on his beliefs.
He was very touched by Heine’s roots. He witnessed the increased rights that the Jews received during the French occupation. Then, with the advent of Prussian forces in the Rhineland, things went back to normal and the bureaucratic order was reestablished. Heine’s lyrics captured the destruction of the equality of the Jews that had ruled under Napoleon.
Originality
Heine’s initial compositions, released when he was a student at the University of Berlin, were “Terrible Night,” “Minnesingers,” and “The Moor’s Ballad.” However, the author started writing love-themed songs even earlier. Heinrich had more than just brotherly affections for his cousin Amalia, to whom his poetry were devoted. Some of them were published in the magazine “Hamburger Strazhden” in 1817, and a collection of their works titled “Youthful Sorrows” was published in 1820.
Heinrich Heine started submitting poetry for print in newspapers in 1821, but neither the general audience nor reviewers took note of them. Heinrich was a prolific poet who worked very hard at his craft. The tragedies “Almanzor” and “Ratcliff” were released shortly after. The poetry anthology “Lyrical Intermezzo” piqued the curiosity of Heine among other writers. In his poetry, societal issues were discussed. The author’s writing was a protest against the monarchy and the treatment of Jews.
Heinrich planned to leave the city and travel to Arabia after hearing harsh criticism from the public, but in actuality he traveled to Kuxwagen. He then traveled to Göttingen, Berlin, Hamburg, and Lüneburg. Harz was the destination of the journey. Heine met Johann Goethe around this time. The poet finished his studies at the university in 1825, passed his final exams, and was awarded a third-degree doctorate in law. He moved to Hamburg, where he carried on with his writing.
For a very long time, the young author’s works were disregarded. When his travel journal “Journey to Graz” was released in 1826, Heine had his first significant success. The cycle “Return to the Homeland” and “Travel Pictures” followed, and in 1827 the “Book of Songs” brought his early compositions together. The public was enthralled by the romantic flare and the nuanced portrayal of sentiments and emotions. Readers were enthralled by the poet’s emotive description of what was going on around him.
Heine was invited to become editor of the Munich newspaper “Political Annals” in 1827. After spending six months in this city, the poet traveled to Italy, where the news of his father’s passing consumed him. After being compelled to return to Hamburg, Heinrich chose to relocate to Paris and published the third volume of the “Travel Pictures” cycle there. The French capital experienced riots in the 1830s. Here, the revolution was under way, and Heine was enthralled with its concept.
The poet settled in Paris after publishing “New Spring” in 1831, coinciding with the popular migratory surge of the period. He met Hector Berlioz, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Theophile Gautier, Alexandre Dumas the Elder, and other notable artists when he was in France. Here, the censorship and criticism repression that characterize Germany was less severe. The poet released works in German and French. The author’s works, including “Florentine Nights” and “The Romantic School”, were published.
Following his move, the poet composed a number of pieces that were collected as “French Affairs.” In 1834, he released “For the History, Religion and Philosophy of Germany,” a work that was based on lectures he had given. The public did not approve of the work because of the author’s reasoning regarding the level of religious freedom of the Hellenes and Nazarenes.
Heine started to experience financial issues around this time. He was compelled to utilize the immigrants’ stipend. The agreement between the customer and publisher Julius Campe, which gave the customer 11 years’ rights to the poet’s works, was an aggravating condition. Uncle Solomon’s assistance made a small difference, but Heine’s condition declined. The poet did not cease working, but he moved with difficulty.
It was challenging to live abroad during this time. The poet “Germany. Winter’s Tale” was written with a deep affection for his native country. He added the poem “Silesian Weavers” to Heine’s bibliography out of longing for his native country. The poem was a man’s response to the workers’ uprising. He was unable to go back home due to his political beliefs.
A poetry collection named “Different” was published in France, and the author’s book “About Bern” was published in 1840. The poem “Atta Troll” was released in 1842, and a collection of “New Poems” followed in 1844. Uncle Solomon passed away during this time, leaving his nephew with an inheritance of eight thousand francs. Heine’s final collection of poetry, “Romancero,” was released in 1851. The author had started composing his own “Memoirs” in the 1840s, and he was working on them at that point.
Individual Life
Heinrich Heine’s life story had a literary connection, and like any writer, it was inspired by love and emotions he felt from his surroundings. He was motivated to write love songs as a young man by his obsession with Amalia, the daughter of his uncle Solomon. Heinrich was devastated to learn that his cousin’s marriage to a merchant ended their relationship.
Heine called Cressenia Engenie Mira, his future wife, Mathilde, when they first met in 1835. It was ridiculous that Mira, a commoner, couldn’t read or write given Heine’s educational background. The couple enjoyed a free marriage. Appreciating Mathilde’s innocence and passion, Heine set her up in a boarding school for girls of nobility and went to see his beloved, celebrating even the smallest of victories.
The year 1941 saw Heine and Mira get married. Although his friends couldn’t comprehend how Genrikh could commit himself to such an untalented woman, the writer remained devoted to his spouse, just as she did to him. Despite not having children during their marriage, the poet remained content in his personal relationship with Mira.
Heine’s latter days were made happier by Camilla Selden, a poet’s lover who visited him a year before he passed away. Despite falling in love, Heinrich stayed with his wife.
Demise
Heinrich Heine suffered a spinal plegia in 1846. After taking his final breath of fresh air in 1848, the poet became bedridden and referred to his condition as a “mattress grave.”
Richard Wagner, George Sand, and Honore de Balzac paid him visits when he was unwell. Karl Marx, a philosopher and Heine’s mother’s side relative, also paid him a visit, though Heine was unaware of their link for a considerable amount of time. The communist theoretician, whose likenesses and quotations grace history textbooks, paid Heinrich visits up until his latter days.
During his captivity at home, Heine remained sane and carried on with his job. He was cared for by his wife till February 17, 1856. The poet’s protracted illness was the cause of his death. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of Montmartre. After 27 years, Matilda passed away. In contrast to her husband, who passed away with anguish, Mira passed away suddenly from a stroke.