Novalis, Friedrich Leopold (1772-1801) was a German poet and novelist.
Following a strict religious education, he pursued philosophical studies at the Iéna University where he became friends with Schiller. Legal studies followed at Leipzig University where he became friends with Schlegel in turn. He secretly became engaged with Sophie von Kuhn, who suddenly died in 1797, leaving the young poet deeply sad.
He became the government assessor of the Weissenfels salt mines in 1799, taking up studies again in Geology at Fribourg and also becoming engaged for the second time. A period of great creativity ensued for him but he then contracted Tuberculosis and died just before his marriage.
He wrote de "Semences" (Seeds), "Les Fragments (précédés des Disciples à Saïs) (Fragments -preceded by the Novices of Sais), "Oeuvres complètes" (Complete Works), etc.
Quote: "Must it be so that what is the most truthful and best must seem unreal and that which is unreal seem so true?"
