evidence: Why thinker Henry David Thoreau remains relevant today July 12, 2017American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born 200 years ago, on July 12, 1817. The anniversary is monumental enough to prompt two new biographies being published in Germany. DW spoke with Dieter Schulz, author of "Henry David Thoreau - Wege eines amerikanischen Schriftstellers," (Henry David Thoreau - Paths of an American author) about just how contemporary Thoreau's centuries-old writings are in today's political climate.