Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)
Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) was born in Marbach, Germany and became a leading German dramatist, poet and literary theorist. The son of an officer and surgeon, and a pious mother, he was schooled in a strict military academy which made him long for freedom. At the age of 21, he was expelled after writing a controversial essay about religion but this was only the beginning of his writing. He went on to write plays that explored issues of physical and spiritual freedom and the psychology of people in crisis. His poetry and essays were influenced by philosopher Immanuel Kant and he developed aesthetic theories involving the creative power of humanity. His poem Ode to Joy was used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony. In 1805, at the age of 46, he died of tuberculosis.
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