Person

Heinrich von Kleist

1777–1811 · 18th century

Heinrich von Kleist was a German dramatist, poet and short-story writer from a Prussian military family. His plays include the comedy The Broken Jug, Penthesilea and The Prince of Homburg, and his novellas include Michael Kohlhaas and The Marquise of O. Little recognised in his lifetime, he took his own life near Berlin in 1811 and is now ranked among the greatest German writers.

Heinrich von Kleist
Image: Anton Graff · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Heinrich von Kleist. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heinrich-von-kleist
MLA
“Heinrich von Kleist.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heinrich-von-kleist. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Heinrich von Kleist.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heinrich-von-kleist.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Heinrich von Kleist’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heinrich-von-kleist (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻