The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Kind, Johann Friedrich

KIND, kĭnt, Johann Friedrich, German poet, dramatist and novelist: b. Leipzig, 1768; d. 1843. Graduating in law he practised his profession for 21 years. He was a very industrious writer in many fields of literature, in all of which he was popular in his day with a large class of l r eaders. Though he published five volumes of sentimental and popular poetry his poetry is the weakest of his literary efforts. His popular tales have somewhat more merit than his poems; but it is in the line of operatic plays that he is best and most generally known. Among his opera productions the best are &lsquo;Das Nachtlager von Granada&rsquo; (to Kreutzer's music); &lsquo;Der Holzdieb&rsquo; (Marschner's music), and &lsquo;Der Freischutz&rsquo; (Weber's music). He wrote too much to have produced really valuable literary works; but scattered throughout his various compositions are many passages which read well and are capable of being separated from their contexts and used as selected readings.