Gisela von Arnim (also Giesela; August 30, 1827 in Berlin – April 4, 1889 in Florence) was a German writer, mainly of fairy tales.

Biography

Gisela was the youngest child of Achim and Bettina von Arnim. Her father died when she was four years old. Her maternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and some of his ancestors are Sophie von La Roche and Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen. She was not formally educated, being taught only by her sisters. In her youth she read fairy tales and Romantic poetry, especially the works of Wilhelm Hauff, and began to write fairy tales herself. With her sisters she started the "Kaffeter circle", first a group for young women and later a full literary salon also including men (honorary members included Hans Christian Andersen and Emmanuel Geibel). In 1859, she married the Germanist and art historian Herman Grimm, a son of Wilhelm Grimm.

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