Raimund, Ferdinand
Raimund, Ferdinand (pseudonym of Jakob Raimann, 1790–1836),Austrian dramatist, actor, and director who, along with Johann Nestroy, cultivated the fairy‐tale farce and transformed it into high art. Raimund was strongly influenced by the baroque theatre and the commedia dell'arte and combined elements of social satire with romance to write unique dramas about Austrian society and the folk tradition. His first two plays, Der Barometermacher auf der Zauberinsel (The Barometer Maker on the Enchanted Island, 1823) and Der Diamant des Geisterkönigs (The Diamond of the King of Spirits, 1824) were rough experiments in the fairy‐tale genre. Beginning with Das Mädchen aus der Feenwelt oder der Bauer als Millionär (The Maiden from Fairyland or The Farmer as Millionaire, 1827), Raimund showed his remarkable ability to endow the fairy‐tale play with deeper meaning and great humour. In...
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