Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ( \* 22 . January 1729 in Kamenz ( Saxony ) ; â 15 .
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ( 22 January 1729 - 15 February 1781 ) was a German writer , philosopher , dramatist , publicist , and art critic , and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era .