He was born at Düsseldorf. He studied medicine at Humboldt University, Berlin, but spent more time on philosophy and literature, which he later studied more thoroughly at Halle and Tübingen. He began his literary career in 1804 as joint editor with Adelbert von Chamisso.
Although he developed a reputation as an imaginative and critical writer, he is famous chiefly as a biographer. He possessed a remarkable power of grouping facts so as to bring out their essential significance, and his style is distinguished for its strength, grace and purity. Among his principal works are:
biographies of General von Seydlitz (1834), Sophia Charlotte, queen ot Prussia (1837), Field-Marshal Schwerin (1841), Field-Marshal Keith (1844), and General Billow von Dennewitz (1853).
His Denkwürdigkeiten und vermischte Schriften appeared in 9 volumes in 1843-59, the two last volumes appearing after his death. His niece, Ludmilla Assing, between 1860 and 1867, edited several volumes of his correspondence with eminent men, and his Tagebücher (14 vols., 1861-70). Blätter aus der preussischen Geschichte appeared in 5 vols. (1868-69); his correspondence with Rahel in 6 vols. (1874-75); and with Carlyle (1892).
His selected writings appeared in 19 volumes in 1871-76.
Reference
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
Johann August Wilhelm Neander (January 17, 1789 - July 14, 1850), was a German theologian and church historian.
His father, Emmanuel Mendel, is said to have been a Jewish pedlar, but August adopted the name of Neander on his baptism as a Christian.
Considerable interest attaches to his early companionship with Wilhelm Neumann and certain others, among whom were the writer KarlAugustVarnhagenvonEnse and the poet Adelbert von Chamisso.
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