One of the most successful and influential authors in the history of sixteenth-century German literature was, apart from the Nuremberg poet Hans Sachs (1494–1576), the Alsatian playwright and novelist Georg Wickram, perhaps best known today for his collection of short jest narratives, or

Schwänke

, his

Rollwagenbüchlein

from 1555, which was reprinted in fifteen new editions until the end of the sixteenth century, and then at least four more times in the seventeenth century (1602, 1607, 1654, and 1665). Wickram deeply influenced the development of the entire genre of

Schwänke

well into the modern age, but he was also a successful author of Shrovetide plays, novels, didactic works, and the editor of a major German translation of Ovid’s

Metamorphoses

by Albrecht von Halberstadt from…

1688 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Georg Wickram". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 May 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15066, accessed 23 November 2024.]

15066 Georg Wickram 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.