REUTER, roi't4r, Fritz, .German dialect poet and story writer : b. Stavenhagen, Meck lenburg-Schwerin, 7 Nov. 1810; d. Eisenach, 12 July 1874. He studied law at the universities of Rostock and Jena, and in 1833 was con demned to death at Berlin for his share in a students' democratic society. His sentence was, however, commuted by the king to 30 years' imprisonment. Till 1838 he was a close prisoner in various Prussian fortresses, and after a farther period of confinement in the Mecklen burg fortress of Damitz was set free in 1840. For 10 years he devoted himself to farming but in 1850 became a private teacher in the Pomeranian town of Treptow. In 1853 he was made famous by the publication of humorous poems in the Platt-Deutsch dialect, entitled 'Lauschen un Rimels' (new series, 1858). These were followed by (1855) and 'Reis' nah bellegen) (1855). His later works comprise (Kein Hiisung) (1858) ; a tragical village story in verse; (Hanne Niite und de lithe Pudel> (1859) ; (1861), a collection of talcs in both Low and High German; and <011e Kamellen' (1860-68), his chief prose work, a series of tales in Platt Deutsch, including 'Ut de Franzosentid' (1860) ; '1Jt mine Festungstid,' an account of his conviction, and imprisonment (1862) ; mine Strontid,' his materpiece (1864) ; Worch lauchtingo (1866) ; and 'De Reis' nah Kon stantinopel) (1868) ; 'Die Drei Langhause' (1878), a satirical play; (Lustspiele und Pol terabendgedichte) (1883) ; and (Reuter-Reli quien> (1885). Reuter's stories are lacking in
plot, but are marked by clever episodes, skilful character drawing and a humor, which, despite the difficulty of his medium, was universally appreciated in Germany. An edition of his works appeared in 1863-68, and in 1875 two volumes of 'Nachgelassene Schriften,) with biography, were added by Wilbrandt. Consult Ebert, H., 'Fritz Reuter, sein Leben und seine Werke' (Giistrow 1874) ; Gadertz, K. T., 'Aus Fritz Reuters jungen und alten Tagen> (2d ed., 3 vols., Wismar 1897-1901) ; Glagau, 0., 'Fritz Reuter und seine Dichtungen' (2d ed., Berlin 1875) ; Romer, A., 'Fritz Reuter in seinem Le ben und Schaffen> (Berlin 1895); Thurber, C. H., 'Fritz Reuter' (Boston 1914).