Johann Richter

Johann Richter (1763-1825), German writer and humorist, born in Wunsiedel, and educated in theology at the University of Leipzig. He wrote under the pseudonym Jean Paul. Richter produced bitter prose satires in his youth; his later writing is more imaginative and sentimental. He achieved his first major success with the sentimental novel Hesperus (1795; trans. 1865). Titan (4 vol., 1800-1803; trans. 1862), a novel containing elements of autobiography and discussing contemporary revolutionary ideas, is considered his best work. He also published essays and reviews and several theoretical works, including Vorschule der Ästhetik (School of Aesthetics, 1804), on poetry, and Levana (1807; trans. 1848), a tract on education. His unfinished autobiography is considered his best Romantic work.