Grabbe, Christian Dietrich (1801–36), German poet and dramatist who with
Büchner was the most notable playwright associated with the ‘Young Germany’ movement in the early 19th century. His grotesque satirical play
Scherz,
Satire,
Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung (
Joke,
Satire,
Irony, and
Deeper Significance), written in 1822 but not produced until 1892, is now seen as a forerunner of the Theatre of the
Absurd. The first of his plays to be produced was the ambitious
Don Juan und Faust (1829), in which he strove to emulate both Mozart and
Goethe; it has some striking scenes, as has his
Napoleon (1835) which, though consisting of little more than a series of sketches loosely strung together in the style of the
Sturm und Drang movement, was the first German drama in which the mob was the main character. Grabbe left several unfinished plays and his
Hermannschlacht, written in 1836, was not produced for 100 years; he led an unhappy, harassed life and died young. He was later made the hero of a play,
Der Einsame (
The Lonely One, 1925) by Hanns Johst.
