OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 116, 23 November 1928, Page 9

OBITUARY

HERMANN SUDERMANN

Australian Press Association —United Eervlcf. BERLIN, 22nd November. The death is announced of Hermann Sudermanu, poet and playwright. The lato Hermann Sudormann was one of the best known of modern German dramatists, poets, and novelists, having a long list of published works to his credit. Ho was born in 1557 at Matziken in East Prussia, close to tho Russian frontier, his people being of Monnonitc origin long settled near Elbing. His father owned n small brewery in tho village of Heydekrug and "Hermann Sudormann received his early education at tho Eealschule in Elbing, but his parents eventually suffered from reduced circumstances, and ho was apprenticed to a chemist at tho age of fourteen. He was, however, enabled to enter tho Realgymasium in Tilsit, where ho studied assiduously, later taking philosophy and history at Kbuigsberg University. In order to complete his studies tho coming litterateur went to Berlin, whoro he secured his final education by acting as tutor to several well-known families resident in tho capital. His next venture was in journalism, and for a couplo of years from 1881 he was editor of the "Deutsches Rcichsblatt," after which ho dovoted himself, entirely to' the writing of novels and dramas. His early romances failed to bring the young author as much recognition as his first drama, "Die Ehre," published in 1889/ which inaugurated a new period in the history of the German stage. After this ho published a great number of plays, many of which wero very successful and have been translated into English and other languages. Hermann Sudermann is also tho»author of a powerful social novel, "Es War," published in 1904, which, like several others of a similar nature, has also been translated into English. ■ He continued to write almost up to tho time of his death, mostly dramatic works and ppems, but ho also wrote one or two romances in his later life which achieved great popularity in his own country as well as in others as a result of translation. . j