The comprehensive biography of Kleist by Gerhard Schulz traces the life story of a poet who struggled with many things, but most of all with himself. In the politically tumultuous times of the Napoleonic Wars, he restlessly sought a purpose for his life. However, when he found it in literature, his contemporaries denied him the recognition he deserved. Thus, he ended his life by his own hand. Kleist, as shy as he was, tended to obscure his life's traces, and since his fame only gradually increased after his death, others also took a long time to care about him. Where did he, who sought love, actually find it? What drove him to embark on ever new journeys? Did he serve as an agent in the fight against Napoleon? Was Goethe the overpowering figure he sought to surpass? And finally, what does his work convey?.