Rights List Spring 2013

The fascinating life journey of a
courageous woman
▶ New aspects from the life of the great philosopher
▶ Compelling and thrilling writing style
▶ New source materials analyzed for the first time
The e life of Christiane Hegel can be outlined in broad strokes as follo follows:
raised ed as the only female among men after the early death of her moth
mother,
later responsible for the education of the von Berlichingen daughters as
their governess, a patient at the public insane asylum at Zwiefalten and finally
suicide in the Nagold River. But why do we know so little about the
important philosopher’s only sister, who met such a tragic end? Why did
she end up in an insane asylum, while her brother pursued his career in
Prussia?
Based on many newly discovered sources related to the lives of Christiane
Hegel and her famous brother, Alexandra Birkert follows the traces of a fascinating
woman who smuggled letters, spoke Latin, and had contact with
many of the famous personalities of her time. From the puzzle pieces
emerges not only the life of a remarkable woman, but also a lively picture of
the turbulent years of the late 18 th century in Württemberg.
Alexandra Birkert
Hegel’s Sister
On the Trail of an Unusual Woman
ISBN: 978-3-7995-0196-5
Thorbecke
Hardback with jacket
352 pages with several illustrations
Dr. Alexandra Birkert, born in 1957,
lives in Stuttgart, where she is a freelance
historian and literary scholar. She has
worked at the German Literary Archive in
Marbach and devoted many years to international
research of Alfred Döblin and
freelance editing.
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HISTORY