Sudermann, << ZOO duhr `mahn,` >> Hermann (1857-1928), was a German dramatist and novelist associated with the naturalism movement. Dame Care (1887), his best-known novel, concerns a young man burdened with his father’s failure in life. Through sacrifice, the son must master fate’s repeated challenges. Regina (1890) is a historical novel showing a man’s struggle against the prejudices of his community.
Sudermann gained fame in Europe with his plays Honor (1889) and Magda (1893). In these dramas, he stripped away the pretenses of the middle-class society of the late 1800’s. Sudermann’s Lithuanian Tales (1917) skillfully portray working-class characters and carry a genuine sense of tragedy. Sudermann was born on Sept. 30, 1857, in Matzicken in East Prussia. He died on Nov. 21, 1928.
