DETLEV VON

LILIENCRON (1844-1909)  , German poet and novelist, was born at Kiel on the 3rd of June 1844 . He entered the army and took part in the campaigns of 1866 and 187o-71, in both of which he was wounded . He retired with the rank of captain and spent some time in America, afterwards settling at Kellinghusen in Holstein, where he remained till 1887 . After some time at Munich, he settled in Altona and then at Altrahistedt, near Hamburg . He died in July 1909 . He first attracted attention by the volume of poems, Adjutantenrilte and anderc Gedichte (1883), which was followed by several unsuccessful dramas, a volume of short stories, Eine Sommerschlacht (1886), and a novel Breide Hummelsbilttel (1887) . Other collections of short stories appeared under the titles Unter flatternden Fahnen (1888) . Der Maven (1889), Krieg and Frieden (1891); of lyric poetry in 1889, 1890 (Der Heideglinger and andere Gedichte), 1893, and 1903 (Bunte Beute) . Interesting, too, is the humorous epic Poggfred (1896; 2nd ed . 1904) . Liliencron is one of the most eminent of recent German lyric poets; his Adjutantenritte, with its fresh original note, broke with the well-worn literary conventions which had been handed down from the middle of the century . Liliencron's work is, however, somewhat unequal, and he lacks the sustained power which makes the successful prose writer .

Liliencron's Samtliche Werke have been published in 14 vols . (19o4—19o5); his Gedichte having been previously collected in four volumes under the titles Kampf and Spiele, Kampfe and Ziele, Nebel and Sonne and Bunte Beute (1897—1903) . See O . J . Bierbaum, D. von Liliencron (1892) ; H . Greinz, Liliencron, eine literarhistorische Wurdiigung (1896); F . Oppenheimer, D. von Liliencron (1898) .