KLINGER

klinger, friedrich maximilian von (1752-1831), german dramatist and novelist, was born of humble parentage at frankfort-on-main, on the 17th of february 1752. his father died when he was a child, and his early years were a hard struggle. he was enabled, however, in 1774 to enter the university of giessen, where he studied law; and goethe, with whom he had been acquainted since childhood, helped him in many ways. in 1775 klinger gained with his tragedy _die zwillinge_ a prize offered by the hamburg theatre, under the auspices of the actress sophie charlotte ackermann (1714-1792) and her son the famous actor and playwright, friedrich ludwig schroder (1744-1816). in 1776 klinger was appointed _theaterdichter_ to the "seylersche schauspiel-gesellschaft" and held this post for two years. in 1778 he entered the austrian military service and took part in the bavarian war of succession. in 1780 he went to st petersburg, became an officer in the russian army, was ennobled and attached to the grand duke paul, whom he accompanied on a journey to italy and france. in 1785 he was appointed director of the corps of cadets, and having married a natural daughter of the empress catharine, was made praeses of the academy of knights in 1799. in 1803 klinger was nominated by the emperor alexander curator of the university of dorpat, an office he held until 1817; in 1811 he became lieutenant-general. he then gradually gave up his official posts, and after living for many years in honourable retirement, died at dorpat on the 25th of february 1831. klinger was a man of vigorous moral character and full of fine feeling, though the bitter experiences and deprivations of his youth are largely reflected in his dramas. it was one of his earliest works, _sturm und drang_ (1776), which gave its name to this literary epoch. in addition to this tragedy and _die zwillinge_ (1776), the chief plays of his early period of passionate fervour and restless "storm and stress" are _die neue arria_ (1776), _simsone grisaldo_ (1776) and _stilpo und seine kinder_ (1780). to a later period belongs the fine double tragedy of _medea in korinth_ and _medea auf dem kaukasos_ (1791). in russia he devoted himself mainly to the writing of philosophical romances, of which the best known are _fausts leben, taten und hollenfahrt_ (1791), _geschichte giafars des barmeciden_ (1792) and _geschichte raphaels de aquillas_ (1793). this series was closed in 1803 with _betrachtungen und gedanken uber verschiedene gegenstande der welt und der literatur_. in these works klinger gives calm and dignified expression to the leading ideas which the period of _sturm und drang_ had bequeathed to german classical literature. klinger's works were published in twelve volumes (1809-1815), also 1832-1833 and 1842. the most recent edition is in eight volumes (1878-1880); but none of these is complete. a selection will be found in a. sauer, _sturmer und dranger_, vol. i. (1883). see e. schmidt, _lenz und klinger_ (1878); m. rieger, _klinger in der sturm- und drangperiode_ (1880); and _klinger in seiner reife_ (1896).