Bettina Von Arnim

Novelist

Birthday April 4, 1785

Birth Sign Aries

Birthplace Frankfurt, Germany

DEATH DATE Jan 20, 1859 (73)

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About

A German author, musical composer, singer, and Romantic-era artistic patron, she most famously wrote the 1835 work, Goethes Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde (Goethe's correspondence with a child). Her other literary works include An die aufgelöste Preußische Nationalversammlung (1849) and Ilius Pamphilius und die Ambrosia (1848).

Before Fame

She was born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano. A member of an Italian merchant family living in Frankfurt am Main, she studied at a Fritzlar convent school.

Trivia

She had an unrequited love for the famous writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; their friendship was cut short when she began engaging in jealous behavior toward Goethe's wife.

Family Life

She married Romantic poet Achim von Arnim. They raised seven children, including a daughter, Gisela von Arnim, who also became a writer.

Associated With

She was a close friend of renowned composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.