Matthew Herzfeld

Matthew Herzfeld (31 May 1689 - 13 July 1771) was a prominent German-born philosopher. He was a central figure in the development of many Enlightenment philosophies, most notably pantheism. He was heavily influenced by Baruch Spinoza and much of his writings show Spinoza's influence. Herzfeld's magnum opus is A Balanced Discourse Concerning the World Unknown published after his death in 1773. Herzfeld was also a accomplished musician, actor, writer, and driver. Musically, he was strongly influenced by Giuseppina d'Clemente, his early tutor for the piano which he began playing shortly after its "creation" by Bartolomeo Cristofori.

Early Life
Herzfeld was born in Munich, Germany in 1689 to lower class German Jews in Munich's Jewish ghetto. There are no verifiable sources that can confirm his mother's, Beracha Herzfeld's, occupation. Though his father, Abraham Herzfeld, was a bureaucrat in the municipal government in Munich. He attended a Jewish grammar school in Munich where he learned German, Yiddish, and most importantly for later in his life, French. His teacher of French, Madam Ekstam was, according to his autobiography Meus Porro Vita, one of his biggest influences in his education. She inspired him to travel to Toulouse, France and later Paris when Herzfeld was in his late 20s.

The French Period
From c. 1715 until 1723 Herzfeld lived in various parts of France but most importantly Toulouse and later Paris. When he first moved to Toulouse, he was a student at the Université de Toulouse studying humanities. After 3 years at the university in 1718 he dropped out and did not earn a degree. He became an apprentice for a local weekly paper where he found little success. The editor of the newspaper, Nikolas Neske, fired Herzfeld after allegations that Herzfeld had stolen from Neske's business, though there is no substantial evidence of this claim. After his string of failures in Toulouse, he moved to Paris in c. 1720 where he was an actor in various theatres across the city. Herzfeld found much success in the Parisian theatres and made a relatively well-paying salary for an actor. For unknown reasons in 1723, Herzfeld moved from Paris to Auxerre briefly and then back to his native Munich.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu