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Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

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born

January 22, 1729 in Kamenz (Sachsen), Germany

died

February 15, 1781

gender

male

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Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature. He is widely considered by theatre historians to be the first dramaturg.

Lessing was born in Kamenz, a small town in Saxony. His father was a clergyman and the author of theological writings. After visiting Latin School in Kamenz (from 1737 onwards) and the Fürstenschule St. Afra in Meissen (from 1741 onwards) he studied theology and medicine in Leipzig (1746–1748).

From 1748 to 1760 he lived in Leipzig and Berlin and worked as reviewer and e...more Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature. He is widely considered by theatre historians to be the first dramaturg.

Lessing was born in Kamenz, a small town in Saxony. His father was a clergyman and the author of theological writings. After visiting Latin School in Kamenz (from 1737 onwards) and the Fürstenschule St. Afra in Meissen (from 1741 onwards) he studied theology and medicine in Leipzig (1746–1748).

From 1748 to 1760 he lived in Leipzig and Berlin and worked as reviewer and editor for, amongst others, the Vossische Zeitung. In 1752 he took his Master's degree in Wittenberg. From 1760 to 1765 he worked in Breslau (now Wrocław) as secretary to General Tauentzien. In 1765 he returned to Berlin, only to leave again in 1767 to work for three years as a dramaturg and adviser at the German National Theatre in Hamburg. There he met Eva König, his future wife.

In 1770 Lessing became a librarian at the Herzog-August-Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel. His tenure there was interrupted by many travels. For example, in 1775 he journeyed to Italy accompanied by Prince Leopold.

In 1771 Lessing was initiated into Freemasonry in the lodge "Zu den drei Rosen" in Hamburg.

In 1776 he married Eva König, who was then a widow, in Jork (near Hamburg). She died in 1778 after giving birth to a short-lived son. On 15 February 1781, Lessing, aged 52, died during a visit to the wine dealer Angott in Brunswick.

Lessing was also famous for his friendship with Jewish-German philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. In his celebrated biography of Mendelssohn's famous grandson, Felix, Larry Todd describes their friendship as one of the most "illuminating metaphors [for] the clarion call of the Enlightenment for religious tolerance".

Lessing was a poet, philosopher and critic. His theoretical and critical writings are remarkable for their often witty and ironic style and their unerring polemics. Hereby the stylistic device of dialogue met with his intention of looking at a thought from different angles and searching for elements of truth even in the arguments made by his opponents. For him this truth was never solid or something which could be owned by someone but always a process of approaching.

Early in his life, Lessing showed interest in the theatre. In his theoretical and critical writings on the subject—as in his own plays—he tried to contribute to the development of a new bourgeois theatre in Germany. With this he especially turned against the then predominant literary theory of Gottsched and his followers. He particularly criticized the simple imitation of the French example and pleaded for a recollection of the classic theorems of Aristotle and for a serious reception of Shakespeare's works. He worked with many theatre groups (e.g. the one of the Neuberin).

In Hamburg he tried with others to set up the German National Theatre. Today his own works appear as prototypes of the later developed bourgeois German drama. Scholars generally see Miß Sara Sampson and Emilia Galotti as the first bourgeois tragedies, Minna von Barnhelm (Minna of Barnhelm) as the model for many classic German comedies, Nathan the Wise (Nathan der Weise) as the first German drama of ideas ("Ideendrama"). His theoretical writings Laocoon and Hamburg Dramaturgy (Hamburgische Dramaturgie) set the standards for the discussion of aesthetic and literary theoretical principles. Lessing advocated that dramaturgs should carry their work out working directly with theatre companies rather than in isolation.

In his religious and philosophical writings he defended the faithful Christian's right for freedom of thought. He argued against the belief in revelation and the holding on to a literal (less)

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Books by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Average rating: 3.30 · 2,240 ratings · 77 reviews · 186 distinct works

	Nathan der Weise 3.45 avg rating — 1,130 ratings — published 1779 — 76 editions	My rating:
	Emilia Galotti 3.03 avg rating — 649 ratings — published 1772 — 54 editions	My rating:
	Minna von Barnhelm 3.04 avg rating — 167 ratings — published 1767 — 47 editions	My rating:
	Laocoon: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Edward Allen McCormick‏ 3.85 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 1 — 38 editions	My rating:
	Miss Sara Sampson 3.21 avg rating — 63 ratings — published 1977 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Nathan the Wise, Minna Von Barnhelm, and Other Plays and Writings: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Peter Demetz (Editor), Hannah Arendt (Foreword by) 3.78 avg rating — 32 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	Die Juden. Ein Lustspiel in einem Aufzuge verfertigt im Jahre 1749 2.79 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1981 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Hamburgische Dramaturgie 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1981 — 11 editions	My rating:
	Lessing's Theological Writings by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Henry Chadwick (introduction) 3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 1956	My rating:
	Der junge Gelehrte (Reclam Universal-Bibliothek, #37) 2.69 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1986 — 4 editions	My rating:

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Quotes by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

“The true value of man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth. It is not possession of Truth by which he extends his powers and in which his ever-growing perfectability is to be found. Possession makes one passive, indolent and proud. If God were to hold all Truth concealed in his right hand, and in his left only the steady and diligent drive for Truth, albeit with the proviso that I would always and forever err in the process, and to offer me the choice, I would with all humility take the left hand. ”
― Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

tags: inspirational , knowledge , searching , truth

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“If some things don't make you lose your sense of reason, then you have none to lose.”
― Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

tags: lose

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“For me the greatest beauty always lies in the greatest clarity.”
― Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

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