Dreams

Jean Paul (Johann Paul Friedrich Richter), born on March 21, 1763, in Wunsiedel (Fichtelgebirge) and died on November 14, 1825, in Bayreuth. Coming from a poor family of pastors and teachers, Jean Paul grew up in cramped and meager conditions in Upper Franconian villages. He attended the gymnasium in Hof from 1779 to 1780 and studied theology in Leipzig starting in 1781, although he never intended to become a pastor. In 1784, he returned to Hof while fleeing from his creditors in Leipzig. He initially lived with his mother until he was able to earn a living as a house and private tutor in Upper Franconia from 1787 to 1794. The sudden fame that came with the success of 'Hesperus' brought him, along with enthusiastic letters from admirers, especially female admirers, an invitation to Weimar in 1796, where he befriended Charlotte von Kalb, the Herder couple, and C. M. Wieland. After the death of his mother, he moved to Leipzig in 1797 and then lived in Weimar from 1798 to 1800. From 1800 to 1801, he resided in Berlin and married Karoline Mayer (1777-1860) – and not one of the noble ladies who courted him. After spending time in Meiningen (1801-02) and Coburg (1803-04), he returned to his Franconian homeland, settled in Bayreuth in August 1804, and remained there until his death.