Germany – Digital History Projects

Lou Andreas-Salomé: the life and social circles

Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861–1937) was a Russian-born intellectual, writer, psychoanalyst, and muse who lived a radical, boundary-defying life at the intersection of philosophy, literature, and psychoanalysis. Her social circles read like a who’s who of late 19th and early 20th-century European cultural elites.

Early Life:

Born February 12, 1861, St. Petersburg, Russia, as Louise von Salomé as the daughter of a Russian army general of German descent; raised in an intellectually rich, German-speaking household within the Russian elite. Exceptionally well-educated for a woman of her time. Studied philosophy, theology, and art history in Zurich and later in Leipzig and Berlin. She was mentored by the Dutch pastor Hendrik Gillot, who fell in love with her despite being married and twice her age.

In her early 20s, she left Russia with her mother and began traveling across Europe. Her intellectual independence and charisma soon drew in prominent thinkers of the era.

Social Circles

Lou Andreas-Salomé’s social and intellectual network. Each connection reflects her multifaceted relationships—with philosophers like Nietzsche and Rée, psychoanalysts like Freud, and poets like Rilke—illustrating her pivotal role in the cultural and psychological transformations of her era.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Met Nietzsche in 1882 through Paul Rée.

Formed a legendary (and controversial) intellectual trio with Nietzsche and Rée in Italy.

Nietzsche fell deeply in love with her and proposed (twice); she declined.

Their bond sparked his later philosophical bitterness toward women, and possibly influenced Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Salomé admired his mind but refused romantic entanglement, preferring a “Platonic” companionship.

Paul Rée

Philosopher and close friend.

Planned to live in a communal, celibate intellectual household with Lou and Nietzsche.

Deeply in love with her, and devastated by the fallout from the Nietzsche conflict.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Began an intense affair in 1897 when he was 21 and she was 36.

She introduced him to Russian literature (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky), revised his name from “René” to “Rainer,” and helped him refine his poetic style.

Their relationship had a maternal and erotic dimension.

Continued correspondence and intellectual companionship long after the romantic relationship faded.

Sigmund Freud

Met Freud in 1911 and became one of the first female psychoanalysts.

Attended meetings of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.

Freud admired her deeply, calling her the “only woman who understands” psychoanalysis.

Their correspondence was rich and philosophical; she was one of Freud’s most articulate interlocutors.

Other Connections

Henrik Ibsen: Admired his plays and ideas on individuality and gender.

Richard Wagner and Cosima Wagner: She moved in similar cultural circles, though her relationships with them were not personal.

Anna Freud: Though less close, Salomé’s presence influenced the next generation of psychoanalysts.

Franz Overbeck and Malwida von Meysenbug: Intellectuals with whom she corresponded and traveled, part of the German progressive intelligentsia.

Lou’s writings included Im Kampf um Gott (1895): A novel about the crisis of religious belief and the search for meaning. Ruth (1895) and Fenitschka (1898): Proto-feminist texts exploring female autonomy and eroticism. Der Mensch als Weib (1899): On femininity and the cultural role of women; anticipates ideas later explored by de Beauvoir.

References:

Freud, Sigmund, and Lou Andreas-Salomé. Letters. Edited by Ernst Pfeiffer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966.

Young-Bruehl, Elisabeth. Anna Freud: A Biography. Yale University Press, 2008.