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Why is Heinrich Heine considered a post-Romantic writer?

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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.

Heinrich Heine is considered a post-Romantic writer because he emerged from the late Romantic tradition while simultaneously recognizing its inadequacy in addressing the stresses and upheavals of his era. While he was deeply familiar with the sounds and materials of Romantic poetry, he lacked the movement's characteristic faith in the ability of art to overcome the alienation and anxiety of the times.1

Heine is best described as a transitional figure whose work is defined by a persistent, ambiguous tension between artistic sensibility—which he called "poesy"—and the realities of the modern world. His writing is marked by:12

Desentimentalization: He frequently employed Romantic tropes in his love poetry while maintaining a skeptical, self-ironic distance from the feelings they represented.1
Critical Reflection: He moved away from the Romantic tendency to idealize the medieval past, instead focusing his later career on contemporary political and social issues.32
Ironic Synthesis: Much like the Romantic concept of irony, Heine’s work functions as a two-track form of literature, balancing poetic virtuosity with a critical awareness of the limitations of poetic truth.12

Ultimately, Heine’s work represents a "post-Romantic crisis," where the poet’s self-regard is integrated with a sharp, often satirical awareness of his own artistic genius and the changing political landscape.13