author
Leopold Schefer
1784–1862
A once widely read German poet, novelist, and composer from Muskau, he wrote with a reflective, lyrical voice that later generations rediscovered. His best-known work, Laienbrevier, helped secure his reputation in 19th-century German literature.
7 Audiobooks
Die Osternacht. Zweite Abtheilung
by Leopold Schefer
Achtzehn Töchter: Eine Frauen-Novelle
by Leopold Schefer
Die Osternacht. Erste Abtheilung
by Leopold Schefer
Der Waldbrand
by Leopold Schefer
Der Hirtenknabe Nikolas; oder, Der deutsche Kinderkreuzzug im Jahre 1212
by Leopold Schefer
Die Deportirten
by Leopold Schefer
Die Probefahrt nach Amerika
by Leopold Schefer
About the author
Born on July 30, 1784, in Muskau in Upper Lusatia, Leopold Schefer grew up as the son of a doctor and was educated in Bautzen. He became a poet, novelist, and composer, and early in his career he was supported by Prince Pückler-Muskau, whose estates he helped manage during the Napoleonic era.
Schefer published across several genres, but he is especially remembered for his lyrical and meditative writing. His Laienbrevier was one of his most admired books, and his work was known in his lifetime for its emotional warmth, moral reflection, and close attention to inner life and nature.
He spent much of his life connected to his native Muskau, where he also died on February 13, 1862. Though he is less famous today than some of his contemporaries, he remains an interesting figure in German literary history for the range of his work and the quiet intensity of his voice.