Heinrich von Kleist

German poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer (1777–1811)

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Lived 1777–1811, aged 34

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Era
1777–1811
Aged 34

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Early 19th-century German playwright whose psychological dramas like The Prince of Homburg and Penthesilea earned steady literary attention. Wrote novellas Michael Kohlhaas and The Marquise of O. Died by suicide pact in 1811.

Biography

About

Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays The Prince of Homburg, Das Käthchen von Heilbronn, The Broken Jug, Amphitryon and Penthesilea, and the novellas Michael Kohlhaas and The Marquise of O. Kleist ended his life in a suicide pact by shooting himself together with a close female friend who was terminally ill.

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