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Brief biography of writer Paul Heyse, the first German to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, best known as master of novellas.
German author Paul Heyse (1830-1914) is the first German to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1910. He was famous for his novellas or short novels, with the best known, L'Arrabbiata and Children of the World. Heyse was a member of a prominent literary society in Berlin, "Tunnel über der Spree ("Tunnel over the Spree".) Early Life of Paul HeysePaul Johann Ludwig Heyse was born on March 15, 1830, in Berlin, Germany, son of a noted philologist, Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Heyse, and Julie Saaling, daughter of a prominent Jewish family. Heyse studied classical and modern languages. He was awarded a research grant that allowed him to travel in Italy for a year, where he learned a lot about Italian literature. Court Poet and Writer in MunichAt the age of 24, after having completed his formal education, he was invited by the king of Bavaria, Maximilian II, to settle in Munich, the capital city. He took up a position as court poet. Heyse also became a leader of a group of writers whose purpose was to write and create works in the traditional Romantic style. They opposed the growing trend towards realism at that time. The fashionable writers of the day were more involved with neo-radical ideas, worldly pleasures and wealth rather than spiritual values. In contrast, Heyse's group produced more traditional writings, sometimes sarcastically labeled by their critics as 'beautiful.' Heyse, Master of NovellasHeyse's primary skill was as a writer of novellas (short novels) of which he became a master. These carefully written stories display excellent humor and a graceful style. L'Arrabbiata, considered his masterpiece, is probably among the best novellas ever written in Germany. His novellas were collected into a book Das Buch der Freundschaft (The Book of Friendship.) Legacy of Paul HeyseThe short stories of Heyse were marked by a graceful style, witty humor, and sensuality. He wrote novels, plays and epic poems, and he translated poetry of some Italian poets. He was a writer who tried to make believe that everything is rosy, that there is no dark side to life. By the time he had received the Nobel Prize in 1910, his popularity had declined. Today, he is regarded as a minor literary figure. Paul Heyse died at the age of 84, on April 2, 1914. Books by Paul Heyse
Sources:Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers, 2002 Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse, 1994
The copyright of the article Paul Heyse Biography in Great Writers is owned by Tel Asiado. Permission to republish Paul Heyse Biography in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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