Jean Paul is said to be one of the most eloquent European prose authors. He occupies a special position between Classicism and Romanticism. During his lifetime, he was an acclaimed author who was read more than Schiller or Goethe, nowadays his extremely difficult writing style prevents a broad reading audience. He continues to be the favorite author of writers and musicians because of the musicality of his flowing style and his poetic pictorialness.
The years of famine in Hof had a formative influence on his work. Here and in Schwarzenbach by the river Saale he wrote his most important novels (‚Schulmeisterlein Wutz‘, ‚Unsichtbare Loge‘, ‚Siebenkäs‘, ‚Hesperus‘). He states the following about the city that he calls ’Kuhschnappel‘ or ‚Flachsenfingen‘ in it: ‚Besehet Hof, wo ich das Meiste gelitten, aber das Beste geschrieben.‘
On the homepage of the city archive there is an article about Jean Paul containing copies and scans of his handwriting.
+49 (0)9281 815 2100
+49 (0)9281 815 2109