Georg Büchner, Leonce und Lena

Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1836

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play
Satire

Resources

When Büchner wrote Leonce und Lena [Leonce and Lena] in the spring and summer of 1836, he was living in exile in Strasbourg. The Stuttgart publishing house Cotta had announced a competition for the “best comedy” which was to be awarded a substantial prize. Büchner was in dire need of funds and this was certainly a motivation to participate in the competition. A further incentive was to write a satirical play in disguise which, regardless of its critique of German absolutism, would be approved by the jury. It did not come to pass: his manuscript arrived after the deadline and was returned. He revised the play, and it was published posthumously in 1838. No authorized text is extant. The premiere took place in 1895. …

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1098 words

Citation: Knapp, Gerhard P.. "Leonce und Lena". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10377, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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