author
Amalie Schoppe
1791–1858
A hugely prolific 19th-century German writer, she became especially known for books for young readers while also producing historical novels and editing literary magazines. Her life took her from the Baltic island of Fehmarn to Hamburg’s literary world and, eventually, to New York State.
1 Audiobook
Robinson in Australien: Ein Lehr- und Lesebuch für gute Kinder
by Amalie Schoppe
About the author
Born on October 9, 1791, in Burg on the island of Fehmarn, Amalie Schoppe wrote under several names, including Adalbert von Schonen, Amalia, and Marie. She built an unusually large body of work in the 19th century and is remembered above all for writing for children and young people, though she also published many historical novels.
She was more than a novelist. Schoppe also worked as an editor, and her literary life connected her with important figures of her time, including the young Friedrich Hebbel, whom she supported in Hamburg. That mix of popular storytelling and active involvement in the literary scene helped make her a notable presence in German-language publishing.
Late in life, she moved to the United States and died in Schenectady, New York, on September 25, 1858. Her career now stands as a reminder of how widely women wrote, edited, and shaped reading culture in the 1800s, even when they are less well known today than some of their contemporaries.