Ο Christopher Martin Viland (Christoph Martin Wieland, 1733-1813) was a German writer and poet, an important figure of the German Enlightenment and a pioneer of Weimar classical literature. He was born on 5 September 1733 in Oberholzheim, Baden-Württemberg. He studied in Erfurt and Tybingen, where his early poetic works reflect a strong religious enthusiasm.

Between 1752 and 1758, he lived in Zurich, writing poems with great enthusiasm. After 1760, he shifted from piety to libertinism, with works such as the tragedy Lady Johanna Gray (1758) and the novel Der Sieg der Natur über die Schwärmerey (1764).

Between 1762 and 1766, he translated 22 of Shakespeare’s plays, enhancing the English dramatist’s reputation in Germany. His most important work, the novel Geschichte des Agathon (1766-1767), is considered the first great educational novel in German literature and a forerunner of the modern psychological novel. In 1769, he became professor of philosophy at Erfurt University, continuing to produce important works.

He was initiated into Freemasonry in 1809 in the “Amalia” gallery, while Goethe was his mentor. However, specific details of the ranks and offices he held within the Brotherhood are not available.

He died on 20 January 1813 in Weimar.