Gerhart Hauptmann

Hauptmann, Gerhart (1862–1946), German author and playwright who pioneered naturalism in the German theater. His first play, Before Dawn (1889), dealing with social problems, won him overnight fame. It was followed by The Weavers (1892), a drama of working-class life, and many other works, both novels and poetry. He was awarded the 1912 Nobel Prize for literature.