Johanna Schopenhauer

Born in Danzig in 1766, Johanna Schopenhauer grew up in a merchant family and later married Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer. She was the mother of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and writer Adele Schopenhauer, but she also built an important literary life of her own.

After being widowed, she settled in Weimar, where she hosted a noted salon that brought her into contact with major cultural figures of the time. She wrote novels, essays, memoirs, and travel books, and she is often remembered as one of the first German women to publish successfully under her own name.

Her writing was known for being lively, observant, and approachable, especially in her travel works and recollections. Though she is sometimes mentioned mainly because of her famous son, Johanna Schopenhauer was a widely read author in her own right and a distinctive voice in German literary society.