Richard Voss

Richard Voss

Richard Voss (September 2, 1851 – June 10, 1918) was a German dramatist and novelist.

Biography

Voss was born at Neu-Grape near Pyritz, in Pomerania, the son of a country squire.

Though intended for the life of a country gentleman, he showed no inclination for outdoor life, and on his return from the war of 1870-71, in which he was wounded, he studied philosophy at Jena and Munich, and then settled at Berchtesgaden. In 1884 Voss was appointed by the grand duke of Weimar librarian of the Wartburg, but, in consequence of illness, he resigned the post.

He spent 25 years of his life at Frascati, near Rome, writing many of his novels and plays there. He was granted honorary citizenship of the town.

Main works

Dramas

• Savonarola (1878)
• Magda (1879)
• Die Patricierin, a classical drama, which won the Schiller prize in 1896 (The Patrician Dame; 1880)
• Pater Modestus, dealing with the problem of religion (1882)
• Der Mohr des Zaren (1883)
• Unehrlich Volk (1885)
• Alexandra (1888)
• Eva, patterned after Ibsen's character Nora (1889)
• Wehe dem Besiegten (Woe to the Vanquished; 1889)
• Die neue Zeit (1891)
• Schuldig (1892)

Novels

• San Sebastian (1883)
• Der Sohn der Volskerin (1885)
• Die Sabinerin, remarkable for its beautiful descriptions of Italian country (1888)
• Der Mönch von Berchtesgaden (1891)
• Villa Falconieri, the story of a successful poet who lost confidence in his powers (1896)
• Der neue Gott (1898)
• Die Rächerin (1899)
• Amata, a story of Rome in Nero's time (1901)
• Römisches Fieber (1902)
• Allerlei Erlebtes (1902)
• Die Leute von Valdars (1902)
• Zwei Menschen (1911)

Notes

References

•  Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Voss, Richard". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. 
•  "Voss, Richard". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Voss, Richard". Encyclopædia Britannica 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

• Works by or about Richard Voss at Internet Archive
• Works by Richard Voss at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)