The New International Encyclopædia/Laube, Heinrich

LAUBE, lou′be, Heinrich (1806-84). A German novelist and dramatic author. He was born at Sprottau in Silesia, and, after studying theology at Halle and Breslau, made his home at Leipzig. He aroused the hostility of the Government by his participation in the liberal movement of the time, and in 1834 was expelled from Saxony and served a term of imprisonment at Berlin. After marrying, getting once more into prison, and traveling through France and Algeria, he returned to Leipzig in 1839. He was a member of the Frankfort National Assembly (1848-49), and in 1849 became director of the Burg Theatre at Vienna, a position which he held till 1867. After a short sojourn at Leipzig (1869-70), he returned to Vienna and acted as director of the Stadt Theatre till 1879. The first period of his literary career was marked by the rapid output of novels dealing with the history of Germany, as well as with contemporary social and political conditions. He also published essays and books of travel. After 1845 his attention was directed chiefly to the stage. His plays are well wrought and cleverly written, and show a remarkable mastery of the technique of the stage. Of his novels, the most important are: Das junge Europa (1833-37); Das Glück (1837); Der Prätendent (1842); Die Grafin Chateaubriand (1843); Der deutsche Krieg (1863-66); Die Böhminger (1880); Louison (1884), On the stage he first attained a reputation with his tragedy Monaldeschi (1845), and the comedy Rokoko (1846). These were followed by Struensee (1847), Gottsched und Gellert (1847), Die Karlsschüler (1847), Graf Essex (1856), Montrose (1859), Böse Zungen (1868), and Demetrius (1872); the last was an attempt at completing Schiller's unfinished drama of that name. His works were published at Vienna in 16 volumes (1875-82). Consult Gottschall, “Heinrich Laube,” in Unsere Zeit, vol. ii. (1884).