The Little Library of Forgotten Women Poets

Malwida von Meysenbug – Life and Work

The Story of Her Life and Her Novel *Memoirs of an Idealist* (Volume 1)

Malwida von Meysenbug did not want to lead the life that had been planned for her.

In 1816, she was born into a world in which, for a woman of her station, so much already seemed predetermined: education was meant to be a mere adornment, family was to determine her path in life, and conforming to society was to provide security. But Meysenbug wanted more. She wanted to think for herself, to learn, to work, to form her own political judgments—and to live according to her own convictions.

Her journey took her from her courtly upbringing into the political upheavals of the 19th century, through the Revolution of 1848, into women’s education, into exile, and finally right into the heart of Europe’s intellectual networks. She encountered revolutionaries, artists, and thinkers; lived in London, Paris, and Italy; and, with her “family of free choice,” created a way of life that transcended the roles expected of women at the time.

Perhaps that is precisely why it is worth rediscovering her. Meysenbug’s life shows that self-determination does not begin with a single moment of liberation, but with many uncomfortable decisions: contradicting one’s own family, questioning religious certainties, foregoing material security, working, fleeing, starting anew—and taking responsibility for the path one has chosen for oneself.

PART 1 – LIFE AND WORK
A biographical essay written in a modern style recounts Meysenbug’s extraordinary journey from Kassel through Frankfurt, Hamburg, and London to Rome. The focus is on her political and religious conflicts, her commitment to women’s education and economic independence, her experiences with revolution and exile, and her relationships with figures such as Alexander Herzen, Giuseppe Mazzini, Richard Wagner, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

PART 2 – MEMOIRS OF AN IDEALIST · VOLUME 1
Next, Malwida von Meysenbug herself takes the floor. The unabridged first volume of her famous memoirs spans from her earliest childhood memories through family and religious conflicts to the Revolution of 1848 and her exile in London. It is far more than a private life story: it is a firsthand account of the times—about freedom, women’s emancipation, education, political hope, defeat, new beginnings, and the search for a self-determined life.

Especially today, Meysenbug’s central question feels surprisingly relevant: How does one live in such a way that one’s convictions remain more than just thoughts? Her answers are neither comfortable nor free of contradictions. That is precisely what makes them credible—and worth reading.

“Rediscovered! The Little Library of Forgotten Women Poets” brings back into the spotlight female authors whose voices have vanished from literary memory. Each volume combines a new biographical portrait with a key original work—so that a name once again becomes a voice.