Ernst Philipp Karl Lange

Ernst Philipp Karl Lange (21 December 1813 - 20 February 1899) was a German novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Philipp Galen.

He was born at Potsdam, studied medicine at Berlin (1835-1840), and on taking his degree, in 1840, entered the Prussian army as a surgeon. In this capacity he saw service in the Schleswig-Holstein campaign of 1849. He settled at Bielefeld as medical practitioner and here issued his first novel, "Der Inselkonig" (1852, 3rd ed., 1858), which enjoyed considerable popularity. In Bielefeld he continued to work at his profession and to write, until his retirement, with the rank of "Oberstabsarzt" (surgeon-general) to Potsdam in 1878; there he died in February 1899.

Lange's novels are distinguished by local colouring and pretty, though not powerful, descriptions of manners and customs. He particularly favored scenes of English life, though he had never been in that country, and on the whole he succeeded well in his descriptions. Chief among his novels are: "Der Irre von St James" (1853, 5th ed., 1871), and "Emery Glandon" (3rd ed., Leip,, 1865), while of those dealing with the Schleswig-Holstein campaign "Andreas Burns" (1856) and "Die Tochter des Diplomaten" (1865) commanded considerable attention.

During his lifetime he was described as "a pleasing realist with no special tendency." [Warner, Charles Dudley; "Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern"; The International Society, 1897]

His "Gesammelte Schriften" appeared in 36 vols, 1857-1866.

"Der Irre von St James" has been reprinted multiple times; a 2001 edition has ISBN 3-934826-02-4.

References

*1911