Gisela von Arnim

Gisela von Arnim (also Giesela; August 30, 1827 in Berlin – April 4, 1889 in Florence) was a German writer, mainly of fairy tales.[1][2][3]

Gisela von Arnim
Portrait of von Arnim by Caroline Bardua (1840)
Born(1827-08-30)August 30, 1827
DiedApril 4, 1889(1889-04-04) (aged 61)
Spouse
(m. 1859)
Parents
RelativesClemens Brentano (uncle),Sophie von La Roche (great-grandmother)

Biography

Gisela was the youngest child of Achim and Bettina von Arnim.[3] Her father died when she was four years old.[4] Her maternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and some of his ancestors are Sophie von La Roche and Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen.

She was not formally educated, being taught only by her sisters. In her youth she read fairy tales and Romantic poetry, especially the works of Wilhelm Hauff, and began to write fairy tales herself. With her sisters she started the "Kaffeter circle",[5] first a group for young women and later a full literary salon also including men (honorary members included Hans Christian Andersen and Emmanuel Geibel).[1]

In 1859, she married the Germanist and art historian Herman Grimm,[6] a son of Wilhelm Grimm.[1]

Works

  • Das Leben der Hochgräfin Gritta von Rattenzuhausbeiuns (with Bettina von Arnim)[1][2]
  • Mondkönigs Tochter
  • Aus den Papieren eines Spatzen
  • Das Licht[2]
  • Die gelbe Haube
  • Dramatische Werke (collection)[7]
  • Drei Mährchen[8]

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Eva Mey (2004). Ich gleiche einem Stern um Mitternacht: Die Schriftstellerin Gisela von Arnim, Tochter Bettinas und Gattin Herman Grimms (in German). Stuttgart: S. Hirzel Verlag. ISBN 3-7776-1331-2.