HEINSE, JOHANN JAKOB WILHELM German author, was born near Ilmenau in Thuringia on Feb. 16, As a law-student at Erfurt he became acquainted with Wieland and through him with "Father" Gleim, who in 1772 procured him the post of tutor in a family at Quedlinburg. In he went to Dusseldorf, where he helped J. G. Jacobi in editing the periodical Iris. He spent the years 1780-83 in Italy, and after his return to Germany became librarian to the arch bishop of Mainz at Aschaffenburg, where he died on June 22, 1803. Both as novelist and art critic, Heinse had considerable influence on the romantic school.
Heinse's complete works (Sdmtliche Schriften) were published by H. Laube in 10 vols. (Leipzig, 1838) and by C. Schiiddekopf (Leipzig, 10 vols. 19o2-13). See H. Prohle, Lessing, Wieland, Heinse (1877), and J. Schober, Johann Jacob Wilhelm Heinse, sein Leben and seine Werke (Leipzig, 1882) ; K. D. Jessen, Heinses Stellung zur bildenden Kunst (1903) and A. Jolivet, W. Heinse, sa vie et son oeuvre jusqu'en 1787 (1922).