author
Rudolf von Gottschall
1823–1909
A prolific German man of letters, he moved easily between poetry, drama, criticism, and literary history. His career was shaped by both political controversy and a long, influential presence in Leipzig’s literary world.
3 Audiobooks
Withered Leaves: A Novel. Vol. 2 (of 3)
by Rudolf von Gottschall
Withered Leaves: A Novel. Vol. 3 (of 3)
by Rudolf von Gottschall
Withered Leaves: A Novel. Vol. 1 (of 3)
by Rudolf von Gottschall
About the author
Born in Breslau on September 30, 1823, Rudolf von Gottschall was the son of a Prussian artillery officer. He studied law at the University of Königsberg, but his involvement with liberal politics brought trouble: after publishing politically charged poems, he was expelled, later completing his doctorate in Breslau.
Gottschall went on to build a remarkably varied literary career as a poet, dramatist, novelist, critic, and historian of literature. He worked in the theater, spent time in journalism, and became especially associated with Leipzig, where he edited important literary periodicals including Blätter für literarische Unterhaltung and Unsere Zeit. In 1877 he was ennobled, after which he was known as Rudolf von Gottschall.
Today he is remembered less as a single-book classic than as a major 19th-century literary presence whose writing and criticism touched many corners of German literary life. He died in Leipzig on March 21, 1909.