Gotthold Ephraim Lessing(1729-1781)

Son of a vicar. Studied theology, philosophy and medicine. First writings 1747 (poems, stories and first dramas). Moved to Berlin 1748 to live as a critic for the Berlinische Privelegierte Zeitung. Writer of famous plays including Nathan, der Weise (1779) and Minna von Barnhelm (1767).