Arthur Schopenhauer presented from personal contact is a biography of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, published by a young admirer and friend of his, Wilhelm Gwinner, two years after the philosopher's death in 1862. It became a success, since death of the famous author was still recent and his popularity as a philosopher not only remained, but was growing among his admirers.

Although Gwinner never shared either the irrationalism or the atheism of the so-called "Frankfurt Buddha", leaning more towards his metaphysical and mystical comments, on the other hand he did know his personality very well, since he chose him as a confidant during the last years of his life. The value of this biography was precisely that Gwinner's profile of Schopenhauer had the freshness of pure friendship and the deepest admiration. Another added value was that some passages were reproductions of the pen of Shopenhauer himself, and in this sense their value is imponderable.

Gwinner used very personal testimonies from Schopenhauer to write his work; They even accused him of plagiarism by reprimanding him for having made his own the words that Schopenhauer himself had written down about himself. The idea that for generations was had of his strong spirit and of his haughty and honest character at the same time, is largely due to the outlines of this little work.

Distinguished admirers of Schopenhauer, such as Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Kafka or Thomas Mann, boasted of possessing, together with the great philosophical works of his idol, the life of Schopenhauer by Wilhelm Gwinner. Even today this work is essential to reconstruct a credible psychological portrait of this great philosopher, which fully preserves the freshness of the first vital and personal sketch, drawn up close by his youngest and most faithful friend.