Ludwig Anzengruber

Ludwig Anzengruber (born Nov. 29, 1839, Vienna—died Dec. 10, 1889, Vienna) was an Austrian playwright and novelist who won acclaim for his realistic plays of peasant life.

After working for a time as an actor, Anzengruber published an anti-clerical drama, Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld (1870; “The Pastor of Kirchfeld”), which was a great success. Except for the melancholy Der Meineidbauer (1872; “The Farmer Forsworn”), most of his plays were gay and witty comedies set among the people of small towns; they include Die Kreuzelschreiber (1872; “The Cross Makers”), Der G’wissenswurm (1874; “The Worm of Conscience”), and Doppelselbstmord (1876; “Double Suicide”). He wrote a problem play, Das vierte Gebot (1878; “The Fourth Commandment”), and also novels: Der Schandfleck (1877, revised 1884; “The Stain”), Der Sternsteinhof (1884; “The Sternstein Farm”), and other tales of village life.