LAUFF

lauff, josef (1855- ), german poet and dramatist, was born at cologne on the 16th of november 1855, the son of a jurist. he was educated at munster in westphalia, and entering the army served as a lieutenant of artillery at thorn and subsequently at cologne, where he attained the rank of captain in 1890. in 1898 he was summoned by the german emperor, william ii., to wiesbaden, being at the same time promoted to major's rank, in order that he might devote his great dramatic talents to the royal theatre. his literary career began with the epic poems _jan van calker, ein malerlied vom niederrhein_ (1887, 3rd ed., 1892) and _der helfensteiner, ein sang aus dem bauernkriege_ (3rd ed., 1896). these were followed by _die overstolzin_ (5th ed., 1900), _herodias_ (2nd ed., 1898) and the _geislerin_ (4th ed., 1902). he also wrote the novels _die hexe_ (6th ed., 1900), _regina coeli_ (a story of the fall of the dutch republic) (7th ed., 1904), _die hauptmannsfrau_ (8th ed., 1903) and _marie verwahnen_ (1903). but he is best known as a dramatist. beginning with the tragedy _ignez de castro_ (1894), he proceeded to dramatize the great monarchs of his country, and, in a hohenzollern tetralogy, issued _der burggraf_ (1897, 6th ed. 1900) and _der eisenzahn_ (1900), to be followed by _der grosse kurfurst_ (the great elector) and _friedrich der grosse_ (frederick the great). see a. schroeter, _josef lauff, ein litterarisches zeitbild_ (1899), and b. sturm, _josef lauff_ (1903).