author
Paula Dehmel
1862–1918
A gifted German writer of poems and fairy tales for children, she helped shape the warm, imaginative tone of German children's literature around the turn of the twentieth century. Her work is remembered for its musical language, gentle fantasy, and close attention to a child's inner world.
1 Audiobook
Das liebe Nest
by Paula Dehmel
About the author
Born Pauline Oppenheimer in Berlin on December 31, 1862, Paula Dehmel became known as a German author of children's poems and stories. She wrote at a time when children's literature was growing into a serious literary form, and her work stood out for its tenderness, rhythm, and playful imagination.
She was married to the poet Richard Dehmel from 1889 until their separation and divorce around the turn of the century, and the two also collaborated on children's books. Beyond that well-known connection, Paula Dehmel built a literary identity of her own, publishing verse and fairy tales that continued to be read long after her lifetime.
Dehmel died in Steglitz near Berlin in July 1918. Today she is chiefly remembered as a sensitive and inventive voice in German children's literature, with writing that combines charm, clarity, and emotional warmth.