Photo: Moritz Daniel Oppenheim / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I'll be honest — I used to lump Heine in with a blur of 19th-century European poets you read in school and forget. Then I actually sat with the Book of Songs and something clicked. This guy was born Harry Heine in Düsseldorf in 1797, studied law at Bonn while clearly having zero interest in becoming a lawyer, and spent the rest of his life doing what he actually wanted: writing poetry sharp enough to cut glass. Schubert, Schumann, and Mendelssohn set his lyrics to music — that's a flex that basically no other poet can claim. And then there's the satirical side: Germany. A Winter's Tale is biting political commentary wrapped in gorgeous verse. He spent his final years bedridden in Paris and kept writing anyway. That kind of stubborn creative output earns my respect every time.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Heinrich Heine
- Name (Japanese)
- ハインリヒ・ハイネ
- Reading
- はいんりひ・はいね
- Born
- December 13, 1797 – February 17, 1856
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Snake
- Origin
- Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Occupation
- poet / writer / journalist / literary critic / poet lawyer
2. Background
- University
- University of Bonn
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Germany. A Winter's Tale | — | |
| Notable work | Atta Troll | — | |
| Notable work | Die Harzreise | — | |
| Notable work | Book of Songs | — | |
| Notable work | The rabbi of Bacherach | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Heinrich Heine born?
December 13, 1797 – February 17, 1856.
Where is Heinrich Heine from?
Heinrich Heine is from Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
What does Heinrich Heine do?
Heinrich Heine works as poet, writer, journalist, literary critic, poet lawyer.
What is Heinrich Heine known for?
Notable works include Germany. A Winter's Tale, Atta Troll, Die Harzreise.
Poet — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.