Bettina von Arnim
| Bettina von Arnim | |
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Bettina von Arnim as drawn by Ludwig Emil Grimm during the first decade of the 19th century
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| Born | Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano 4 April 1785 Frankfurt am Main |
| Died | 20 January 1859 (aged 73) Berlin |
| Resting place | Wiepersdorf |
| Pen name | Beans Beor |
| Occupation | Writer, publisher, composer, singer, visual artist |
| Language | German |
| Literary movement | Romanticism |
| Spouse | Ludwig Achim von Arnim |
| Relatives |
Clemens Brentano (brother) Gisela von Arnim (daughter) |
Bettina von Arnim (the Countess of Arnim) (4 April 1785 – 20 January 1859), born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist.
Bettina (as well: Bettine) Brentano was a writer, publisher, composer, singer, visual artist, an illustrator, patron of young talent, and a social activist. She was the archetype of the Romantic era's zeitgeist and the crux of many creative relationships of canonical artistic figures. Best known for the company she kept, she numbered among her closest friends Goethe, Beethoven, and Pückler and tried to foster artistic agreement among them. Many leading composers of the time, including Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johanna Kinkel, and Johannes Brahms, admired her spirit and talents. As a composer, von Arnim's style was unconventional, molding and melding favorite folk melodies and historical themes with innovative harmonies, phrase lengths, and improvisations that became synonymous with the music of the era. She was closely related to the German writers Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim: the first was her brother, the second her husband. Her daughter Gisela von Arnim became a prominent writer as well. Her nephews, via her brother Christian, were Franz and Lujo Brentano.
Bettina von Arnim was born at Frankfurt am Main, into the large family of an Italian merchant. Her grandmother, Sophie von La Roche, was a novelist, and her brother was Clemens Brentano, the great poet known for his lyric poems, libretti, and Singspiele. He was a mentor and protector to her and inspired her to read the poetry of the time, especially Goethe.
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