Ernst von Wolzogen (23 April 1855 – 30 August 1934) was a

cultural critic A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole. Cultural criticism has significant overlap with social and cultural theory. While such criticism is simply part of the self-consciousness of the culture, the social positions of ...

, a writer and a founder of

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

in Germany.

Biography

Wolzogen came from a noble Austrian family; he studied Literature, Philosophy, and the history of art in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. In 1882, he went to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

where he worked as an editor at a publishing house and later became an independent writer. From 1892 to 1899, he lived in Munich where he founded the ''Freie Literarische Gesellschaft'', a literary society. In 1899, he returned in Berlin where he established the

Überbrettl Überbrettl ( ''super-cabaret'') was the first venue in Germany for literary cabaret, or Kabarett, founded 1901 in Berlin by Ernst von Wolzogen. The German Kabarett concept was imported from French venues like Le Chat Noir in Paris, from which it k ...

'', a play on

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

's term ''Übermensch''. He married Elsa Laura Seemann von Mangern in 1902, and wrote social satires for Überbrettl. After its closure in 1905, he returned to

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

. Wolzogen produced a great many works of humorous fiction. Some of his works include ''Die Kinder der Exzellenz'' (1888); ''Das Lumpengesindel'' (1892); ''Ein unbeschriebenes Blatt'' (1896); ''Der Kraft-Mayr'', 2 vols.(1897); ''Das dritte Geschlecht'', 2 vols. (1899). Although primarily a humorist, he also wrote on serious topics. Works such as ''Fahnenflucht'' (1894), ''Das Wunderbare'' (1898), and ''Die arme Sünderin'' (1901) are examples of his more serious side as an author. Wolzogen work is known for its wit and elegance.

Works

* 1879 ''Um 13 Uhr in der Christnacht'' * 1885 ''Wilkie Collins: Ein Biographisch-Kritischer Versuch'', biography * 1886 ''Heiteres und Weiteres'', poetry * 1887 ''Thüringer Roman'' * 1888 ''Die Kinder der Excellenz'', novel * 1890 ''Die tolle Komteß'', novel * 1890 ''Er photographiert'', comedy * 1892 ''Das Lumpengesindel'', tragic comedy * 1894 ''Das gute Krokodil und andere Geschichten'' * 1897 ''Der Kraft-Mayr'', novel * 1897 ''Die Gloria-Hose'', short story * 1899 ''Das dritte Geschlecht'', novel * 1901 ''

Feuersnot ' (''Need for (or lack of) fire)'', Op. 50, is a ''Singgedicht'' (sung poem) or opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The German libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde". It was ...

'', opera libretto, set to music by

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

* 1905 ''Verse aus meinem Leben'' * 1923 ''Wie ich mich ums Leben brachte'' (autobiography; anti-semitic)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolzogen, Ernst Von 1855 births 1934 deaths Writers from Wrocław Austrian opera librettists German opera librettists People from the Province of Silesia German male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German male writers 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights