August Von Kotzebue

German playwright widely influential in popularizing poetic drama, into which he instilled melodramatic sensationalism and sentimental philosophizing.

Kotzebue’s first comedy gave him entrée into court literary circles in Weimar, but in 1781 he was forced to go into exil. Entering government service in Russia (1783), he became president of the magistracy of the province of Estonia in 1785 and was ennobled. Kotzebue traveled abroad and spent some time writing for the municipal theatre of Vienna. Upon his return to Russia he was arrested, inexplicably, and exiled to Siberia. The emperor Paul I, just as capriciously as he had exiled Kotzebue, had him released a few months later. Kotzebue was given an estate in Livonia and made director of the German theatre in St. Petersburg.

In 1801 he returned to Weimar, but he was not on good terms with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe or with the Romantics; he went back to Russia in 1806. In 1817 he was again sent abroad by the emperor Alexander to report on current Western ideas in politics, finance, and education. Execrated by political radicals as a spy in the pay of a reactionary power, Kotzebue was assassinated in Mannheim on 23 March 1819 by Karl Sand, a member of a radical student association.

As a dramatist Kotzebue was prolific (he wrote more than 200 plays) and facile, but dramatically adroit. He also wrote some novels as well as historical and autobiographical works. Kotzebue was one of the most popular writers of his time.

Kotzebue was the father of 18 children.