Biography

Joseph von Eichendorff was born into an old catholic noble family on the 10th of March 1788. After schooling he went to the university Halle for studying law, he completed his basic studies in Heidelberg 1808. After a journey to Paris and Berlin, he met Brentano, Kleist and Arnim, he ended his studies finally at the university of Vienna in 1812. He succeeded in getting a job in some departments of the Prussian state and served until he retired in 1844. Eichendorff died on the 26th of November 1857. Eichendorff is a famous writer of the late "Romantik" in Germany. Famous both for his poems and short novels, he is widely known for his "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts", in which he combined prose and lyrics.