Rahel Varnhagen
Rahel Varnhagen von Ense | |
|---|---|
Pastel by Moritz Michael Daffinger 1818 | |
| Born | 17 May 1771 |
| Died | 7 March 1833 (aged 61) Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Resting place | Holy Trinity Church, Berlin |
| Language | German |
| Period | Age of Enlightenment |
| Spouse | Karl August Varnhagen von Ense |
Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen von Ense (German: [ˈʁaːɛl ˈfaʁnhaːɡən]) née Levin, later Robert; (19 May 1771 – 7 March 1833) was a German writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late-18th and early-19th centuries.
She is the subject of a celebrated biography, Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess (1957), by Hannah Arendt. Arendt cherished Varnhagen as her "closest friend, though she ha[d] been dead for some hundred years". The asteroid 100029 Varnhagen is named in her honour.