Dictionary.net

A German poet, dramatist, and editor; born in Brunswick, Dec. 10, 1845; died at Weimar, May 4, 1892. He abandoned law for literature and journalism, joining the staff of the Deutsches Tageblatt when it started. His plays have been numerous and successful, notably "Alexander the Great"; "Jerusalem"; "Nero"; and others serious in subject. His greatest success was with the "church play" arranged and written for the Luther Jubilee of 1883, and widely performed. His poetry includes both the light and serious, "The Fat King" among the former and "The Swine" among the latter. His prose works include essays on Schopenhauer and upon the development of the stage.