Dictionary.net

A German novelist and poet; born in Stettin, July 27, 1848. He studied philology at Bonn and in Italy, and became a professor at the Stettin Academy after the publication in 1871 of his noteworthy dissertation on the Nibelungen. After a brilliant career as an educator, he began, in 1878, the writing of novels and lyrics which rapidly won him reputation. His first fiction was on an Italian theme, "Under Blue Skies" (1881). Among others, "Brigitta von Wisby", "Ivan the Terrible and his Dog", and a humorous romance, "The Iron Captain of the Horse", met with favor. "Landsturm" is a tragic tale. His "In Life's Path" and other volumes of lyrics and narrative poems won instant appreciation, like "The Harz"; "Erring Mother's Love".