How did Heinrich Heine’s illness affect his final years?

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Portrait of German poet Heinrich Heine, circa 1827, seated with one arm resting on his knee and wearing a dark coat over a white shirt. — Heinrich Heine Heinrich Heine, c. 1827.

Beginning in the spring of 1848, Heinrich Heine suffered from a debilitating illness, likely a venereal disease, which progressively attacked his nervous system. This condition left him paralyzed, partially blind, and plagued by severe spinal cramps, confining him to what he described as his "mattress-grave" for the final eight years of his life.1

Despite this intense physical torment, Heine returned to writing poetry. His later works, such as the 1851 collection Romanzero and his final 1853–1854 poems, are characterized by heartrending laments and bleak reflections on the human condition. During this period, he also adopted a sardonic tone, acknowledging a personal God primarily to challenge the perceived injustice of the world's governance. He died in 1856 and was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery.1