Marianne von Willemer

Marianne von Willemer
Marianne von Willemer. Painting by Johann Jacob de Lose, 1809, Original: Freies Deutsches Hochstift - Frankfurter Goethe-Museum
Born	(Probably) Marianne Pirngruber (1784-11-20)20 November 1784 (Probably) Linz, Austrian Empire
Died	6 December 1860(1860-12-06) (aged 76) Free City of Frankfurt
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer, poet
Spouse	Johann Jakob von Willemer

Marianne von Willemer (born 20 November 1784, probably in Linz; died 6 December 1860 in Frankfurt am Main; probably born as Marianne Pirngruber^[citation needed]; also known as Marianne Jung) was an Austrian actress and dancer best known for her relationship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and her appearance in his poetry.

Biography

At the age of 14 she moved to Frankfurt am Main, where she became the third wife of Frankfurt banker Johann Jakob von Willemer. He introduced her to Goethe, who met Marianne in 1814 and 1815. Goethe immortalised her in the Buch Suleika of his late work West-östlicher Divan; she later revealed that several of its poems were authored by her.[1] [2]

References

1. Dowden, Edward in introduction to West-Eastern Divan: in twelve books, Toronto, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1914, p. xv.
2. Vila-Matas, Enrique (2004). Bartleby & Co. London: New Directions Books. pp. 170–172. ISBN 0-8112-1591-1.