Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

German writer, philosopher, publicist, and art critic (1729-1781) · Germany · Writers · Died at 52

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is read about 670 times a day, in 71 languages.

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The German Enlightenment writer who gave theatre the word "dramaturgy" and the job to match - hired as the first dramaturg at Hamburg's National Theatre, he turned criticism into a craft that reshaped how plays were made and thought about across Europe.

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A life in dates

1781Died15 February 17811779“I, who ne'er Went for myself a begging, go a borrowing, And that for others. Borrowing's much the same As begging; just as lending upon usury Is much the same as thieving.”In their wordsNathan the Wise (1779), Act II, scene IIRead the whole statement

“The worst of superstitions is to think One's own most bearable.”In their wordsNathan the Wise (1779), Act IV, scene IIRead the whole statement

1778“The true value of a man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth.”In their wordsAnti-Goeze (1778), as quoted in God Is Not Great (2007), by Christopher Hitchens , Ch. 19Read the whole statement

1777“If no historical truth can be demonstrated, then nothing can be demonstrated by means of historical truths.”In their words"On the Proof of the Spirit and of Power" (1777), in Lessing's Theological Writings, selected and translated by Henry Chadwick (Stanford,Read the whole statement

1729Born22 January 1729

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Kunstsammlung Uni Leipzig

Bundesarchiv Bild 102-14001, Berlin, Lessing Museum

Berlin-Spandauer Strasse 68

Braunschweig Brunswick Sterbehaus Lessing 1905

Christelijke encyclopædie voor het Nederlandsche volk 3-766

DieRuhestättenUndDenkmälerUnsererDeutschenDichter 124

DieRuhestättenUndDenkmälerUnsererDeutschenDichter 128

Gedenkstein zur Hochzeit von Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in Jork

In their own words 5

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

5 statements, newest first

I, who ne'er Went for myself a begging, go a borrowing, And that for others. Borrowing's much the same As begging; just as lending upon usury Is much the same as thieving.
1779, Nathan the Wise (1779), Act II, scene II, Own words
The worst of superstitions is to think One's own most bearable.
1779, Nathan the Wise (1779), Act IV, scene II, Own words
The true value of a man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth.
1778, Anti-Goeze (1778), as quoted in God Is Not Great (2007), by Christopher Hitchens , Ch. 19, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Family

Parents

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Partners

Spouse Eva König

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About this person

Born 22 January 1729, Lessing moved through philosophy, drama, and criticism as the Enlightenment's sharp edge cut into German letters. He took a post at Abel Seyler's Hamburg National Theatre, inventing the dramaturg's role - not just watching plays but dismantling and rebuilding the logic of how they worked. His own plays and theoretical writings, including Hamburg Dramaturgy, bent the trajectory of German literature toward reason and form. He died 15 February 1781, leaving theatre a new vocabulary and a new way to see itself.

Country

Germany

Writers from Germany 6

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