Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, and art critic who played a key role in the development of German literature and the Enlightenment movement. He was born in Kamenz, a small town in Saxony, to a Lutheran minister and his wife. He received a classical education at various schools and universities, where he developed an interest in literature, drama, and philosophy. He began his literary career as a playwright and critic, writing several comedies and tragedies that challenged the conventions of classical and French models. He also wrote essays on aesthetics, theology, and politics, expressing his views on religious tolerance, human dignity, and freedom of thought. He is best known for his plays Miss Sara Sampson (1755), Minna von Barnhelm (1767), Emilia Galotti (1772), and Nathan the Wise (1779), which are considered masterpieces of German drama and reflect his humanist ideals. He also wrote influential works on the theory and history of drama, such as Laocoön (1766) and Hamburg Dramaturgy (1767–1769), which established him as the first modern dramaturg. He was a friend and collaborator of many prominent writers and thinkers of his time, such as Moses Mendelssohn, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Christoph Martin Wieland, and Friedrich Nicolai. He died in Braunschweig in 1781 from a gangrenous wound that he contracted while working as a librarian for the Duke of Brunswick. He was buried in St. Magni Cemetery in Braunschweig. His legacy is celebrated as one of the founders of German literature and a pioneer of the Enlightenment.