Heinrich von Kleist left relatively few handwritten documents of his life and works to posterity. Among them are 178 letters.

In 2024, one of these letters, previously believed lost, re-emerged at an auction. The Kleist-Museum could make this exciting acquisition with the generous support of the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Culture of the Land Brandenburg, the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States, the Sparkasse Oder-Spree, the Förderkreis Kleist-Museum and a private donor.

The letter, from Kleist to his publisher Georg Andreas Reimer, concerns the publication of three of Kleist’s works: ‘The earthquake in Chile’, ‘The Marquise of O....’ and ‘Kathy of Heilbronn’.

The special exhibition has the dual purpose of revealing this one-of-a-kind acquisition to the public and illustrating the impact this letter has unfolded during the two centuries since Kleist wrote it; the works published in Reimer’s edition in 1810 continue to influence our engagement with Kleist to this day.

Guided by a timeline that uncovers characteristic shifts in the history of readers’ and audiences’ responses to these three works, you’ll see a diverse range of exhibits from the Kleist-Museum’s comprehensive collection, including copies of the first editions, illustrated editions, graphic art that engages with the works, and pieces related to their theatrical productions.

Involved

Curation: Dr Barbara Gribnitz

Design: Judith Philipp, Die Werken

Translation: Katherine Ebisch-Burton

Funded by: The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (State of Brandenburg), City of Frankfurt (Oder)