Born: March 24, 1811 in Königsberg (East Prussia)
Died: August 5, 1889 in Dresden

The eldest daughter of emancipated Jewish parents left private school at the age of 13. From then on, she was mainly kept busy with needlework, playing the piano and repeating old lessons. There was no thought of higher education or studying, as her brothers were allowed to do, and Fanny soon rebelled against this unequal treatment. In 1831, her father, the merchant David Markus, gave up his Jewish surname and replaced it with the name Lewald. Fanny Lewald was baptized without being inwardly convinced of Christianity.

She successfully resisted a marriage arranged by her parents. Her uncle August Lewald, editor of the magazine "Europa", published parts of her letters with travel descriptions without her knowledge. The texts caused a sensation and new articles were commissioned. Confirmed by her success, she published two novels ("Clementine" and "Jenny") in 1843. In a very short time, she had become one of the most sought-after writers of her time. She was particularly preoccupied with the situation of young girls - she processed what had tormented her in her youth, which she described as "years of suffering". In her writings, Fanny Lewald called for the improvement of girls' education and the right of women to their own vocational training.

She was able to make a good living from the proceeds of her enormously popular novels and the fees for her articles, and she gradually became known as a women's rights activist as well as a writer. In February 1845, she moved into her own apartment in Berlin.

During a trip to Italy in the same year, she met the literary and art historian Adolf Stahr. He was married and the father of five children, but she fell in love with him. When Stahr moved to Berlin to live with Lewald at the end of 1852, leaving his family behind in Jena, his wife agreed to divorce him. Fanny Lewald and Adolf Stahr married on February 6, 1855.

Her main creative period was during their marriage. Among many other things, she was involved in social work; she also ran a literary salon, whose most famous guest was the young Fontane.

Out of consideration for Stahr's declining health, the couple left Berlin and settled in the spa town of Wiesbaden, where they hoped to find relief from their ailments. Adolf Stahr died here on October 3, 1876 and Fanny Lewald moved back to Berlin. She found her final resting place at Stahr's side in the Old Cemetery in Wiesbaden.

A street in the artists' quarter is named after her.