Rudolf Lavant
Rudolf Lavant (born Richard Carl Cramer; 30 November 1844 – 6 December 1915) was a German writer and poet. Lavant was the eldest of five children. His father Carl Eduard Cramer was close to the people's tribune Robert Blum.
Rudolf Lavant

Gedicht von Rudolf Lavant Template:Creator=Rudolf Lavant · Zeitschrift: Illustrirtes Unterhaltungsblatt für das Volk · CC0
- Born
- 30 November 1844
- Birthplace
- Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, German Confederation
- Died
- 6 December 1915
- Place of death
- Reudnitz, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
- Occupation
- Writer, publisher, poet
- Full name
- Richard Carl Cramer.
- Fields
- poetry, translation into German, writer and shorthand.
- Known for
- Ein verlorener Posten, Idealisten, Vorwärts and In Reih und Glied.
- Languages
- German, Italian and French.
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Documentary summary
Rudolf Lavant (born Richard Carl Cramer; 30 November 1844 – 6 December 1915) was a German writer and poet. Lavant was the eldest of five children. His father Carl Eduard Cramer was close to the people's tribune Robert Blum.
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Note VALÉORINE
Rudolf Lavant (1844–1915) was a clerk, holder of the procuration and poet, among other activities. The clerk was born Richard Carl Cramer in Leipzig and died in Leipzig. Rudolf Lavant was also known as Fritzchen Mrweesesnich and Fritzchen Mrweessesnich.
Rudolf Lavant was a member of German and Austrian Alpine Club, TSV 1867 Leipzig and Verein zum Schutz der Bergwelt, among others and worked in Leipzig. Activity centred on poetry, shorthand and translation into German.
Among the works are Ein verlorener Posten, Idealisten, In Reih und Glied and Vorwärts. Languages used include French, German and Italian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2173298 · wikipedia · Rudolf Lavant
In this article
Biography
Biography
Johann Georg August Wirth, the organizer of the Hambach Festivals, was the great uncle of Rudolf Lavant.
The recorded working language is German, Italian and French. The field of work recorded is poetry, translation into German and writer. Places of work recorded in the authority are Leipzig. Works named in the authority record are Ein verlorener Posten, Idealisten, Vorwärts and In Reih und Glied.

Titelbild "Der Wahre Jacob"
Dietz und Wilhelm Blos · Uni-Heidelberg
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 30 November 1844 • Birthplace — Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, German Confederation • Died — 6 December 1915 • Place of death — Reudnitz, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire • Occupation — Writer, publisher, poet
Life
Life
After completing his General Certificate of Secondary Education studies at the City School of Leipzig, Lavant first became a commercial assistant in his hometown. In the war of 1866 he volunteered as an imperial hunter on the Austrian side. He then became an accountant, eventually a procurator, at the firm Dürbig & Co. of a garment business in Leipzig. He studied Gabelsberg's stenography and was the author of the journal "Neue Illustrirte Zeitung für Gabelsberger'sche Stenographen", the editor of this specialist journal was his friend Emil Trachbrodt. Lavant also devoted himself to the study of foreign languages (English, French, Italian), which he often needed for his travels abroad. Heinrich Wuttke, his father's friend, provided him with the rich treasures of his library, so Lavant came to the volumes of poems by his favorite poets Byron, Tennyson, Béranger, Victor Hugo, Herwegh and Freiligrath, the latter two being his role models in his work.
Works
Works
• Ein verlorener Posten. In: Die Neue Welt. 3. Jahrgang, 1878 Nr. 14 ff. (autobiografischer Roman, als Fortsetzungsroman erschienen). Als Taschenbuch erschienen im Verlag: Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing 2019 ISBN 978-1-7036-9740-7. • Idealisten. Novelle. In: Die Neue Welt. 5. Jahrgang, 1880, Nr. 33 ff. (als Fortsetzungsroman erschienen). Als Taschenbuch erschienen im Verlag: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (27. Mai 2015) ISBN 978-1-5141-1340-0. • Vorwärts. Eine Sammlung von Gedichten für das arbeitende Volk. Verlag der Volksbuchhandlung in Hottingen, Zürich 1886. • Erinnerung an die Enthüllung des Gabelsberger-Denkmals in München am 10. August 1890 von Richard Cramer. Verlag von Friedrich Geissler Leipzig 1890. • In Reih und Glied. Gedichte von einem Namenlosen. In: Deutsche Arbeiter-Dichtung. Band 3, Verlag J. H. W. Dietz, Stuttgart 1893. Als Taschenbuch erschienen im Verlag: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (27. Mai 2015) ISBN 978-1-5141-1351-6. • Eichenlaub und Fichtenreis. Liederschatz des Leipziger Turnvereins. Wilhelm Achilles, Leipzig 1901 (Gedichtsammlung).
Life and work
Life and work
Lavant worked as writer, poet, holder of the procuration and clerk. Lavant worked in Leipzig. Lavant worked in German, Italian, French and English. Lavant died on 6 December 1915 in Leipzig. Lavant is buried at Leipzig South Cemetery.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1844–1915
The full dated record · 3 entries
1844
Rudolf Lavant was born on 30 November 1844.
1915
Dies at Leipzig.
1915
Rudolf Lavant died on 6 December 1915.
Compositions, 1901
Catalogued output
Compositions, 1901
The entries below are works composed by the subject, as the institutional registers catalogue them; later performances and commercial recordings of the same music are listed separately. They belong to a run of 8 titles in all, from 1901 to 1901.
7 compositions carry the date 1901
The run opens with Der Gegner selbst and closes with Schart euch eng am Ehrentage
Der Gegner selbst
1901
Ein Schifflein ist hinausgeflogen
1901
Eine ernste Weihestunde
1901
Habt ihr an milden Frühlingstagen
1901
Heut’ braust durch alle deutschen Lande
1901
In dem glanzdurchflossnen Saale
1901
Schart euch eng am Ehrentage
1901
Compositions without a settled date
Catalogued output
Compositions without a settled date
1 further composition are catalogued under Lavant's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it.
Das Grübeln und das Härmen
Works, 1878–1965
Catalogued output
Works, 1878–1965
These are texts written by the subject, distinct both from writings about the subject and from printed editions of other people's work. 42 works carry dates between 1878 and 1965. The 1900s are the densest part of the run, with 21 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself. They belong to a run of 46 titles in all, from 1878 to 1965. A selection is set out below and the complete run may be opened beneath it.
Rudolf Lavant poems, dated 1965. „Drei Monate Fabrikarbeiter“
1965
The run opens with Ein verlorener Posten and closes with „Drei Monate Fabrikarbeiter“
Ein verlorener Posten
1878
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
1878
Idealisten
1880
How we wish our readers to be
1880
To the old year
1884
An unsere Leser!
1884
Der Ameisenkalender ist da!
1888
An das Jahr
1893
Ein Winterbild
1893
Einem Verschwindenden
1893
In Reih und Glied
1893
The complete catalogue · 42
The run opens with Ein verlorener Posten and closes with „Drei Monate Fabrikarbeiter“
Ein verlorener Posten
1878
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
1878
Idealisten
1880
How we wish our readers to be
1880
To the old year
1884
An unsere Leser!
1884
Der Ameisenkalender ist da!
1888
An das Jahr
1893
Ein Winterbild
1893
Einem Verschwindenden
1893
In Reih und Glied
1893
Rothe Weihnachten!
1893
Our greeting for 1 May
1894
In memoriam
1901
De Blagwitzer Normaluhr
1902
Aenne unbolidsche Fawel
1902
Sächsches Bech
1902
Ewas von Sedangfeste
1902
De Reichdags-Bimmel
1902
Was von Orden
1902
Crimmitschau
1903
Der Bederschfeng
1903
The rural mail carrier
1903
De Gledderweeche
1905
Der Haubdmann Vogd
1906
Dem Andenken Adolf Lepps
1906
's moderne Leibzg
1907
's alde Radhaus
1907
De Hergommer-Jagd
1907
De Binnenalster
1907
De Radhauslaum
1907
Der neie Meßblatz
1907
De wilden Männer an ahlen Rahdhause
1907
Dem Andenken Julius Mottelers
1907
Ausgesperrt!
1910
De Schdraße des achzehnden Okdower
1912
Fünfundzwanzig Jahre!
1912
Jaurès
1914
An die Frauen
1965
Die Sachsenschlacht
1965
Rudolf Lavant poems, dated 1965. „Drei Monate Fabrikarbeiter“
1965
Works without a settled date
Catalogued output
Works without a settled date
4 further works are catalogued under Lavant's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it.
Der letzte Akt der Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig am 19
Eichenlaub und Fichtenreis
Writer and publisher
In addition to his profession, Lavant led a second life as a writer and publicist for the proletariat. His lyrical work, begun in the late 1960s, gained a decisive anti-Prussian, socialist tendency since 1871, the year of the founding of the German Empire and the Paris Commune. The first poem to be found, "Friede!" ("Peace!") was published in the Volksstaat in 1871 and appeared on the cover of issue number 7 of the 21st edition from January, it is signed with Richard C. In the "History of German Social Democracy" Franz Mehring named him along with the best and most famous representatives of early socialist literature at the time, with Leopold Jacoby and Max Kegel (Dichter). And Mehring called him the perfected of this group, a judgment, that was quite justified by Lavant. Richard Cramer was admitted to the Faculty of Commerce in 1873. Dürbig & Co. the Civil rights of the city of Leipzig. His poems appeared in the Social democrats press (Die Neue Welt, Deutscher Jugendschatz and Der wahre Jacob) continuously under the pseudonym Lavant (the Green valley of the Lavant gave me my nom de plume) because the author did not want to endanger his private existence. In "Der wahre Jacob" 180 poems by Lavant were found, many unsigned poems could be assigned because they appeared in the In Reih und Glied collection, but there must be a further number of unsigned poetry. August Bebel assigned him the revision of the Forward printing house in 1876. During the period of the Sozialistengesetz of 1878–1890, when Lavant often published political "guides" in the illegal Sozialdemokrat and at the same time continued unrecognized in his commercial profession, his double life was at its peak. Der Sozialdemokrat was produced abroad, first in Zurich and later in London, and smuggled into Germany via the Rote Feldpost. From 1884 to 1886 the anthology Vorwärts, a collection of poems for the working people, appeared in Zurich. Rudolf Lavant wrote the foreword and was the editor, it contained workers' poems by various authors. The book was originally published in six volumes, Volume 1-2/1884, Volume 3-6/1885, all of which were banned by the Socialist legislation. It was not until 1886 that the anthology appeared as a book edition in the Hottingen publications house. This poem also only made it to Germany on the "Rote Feldpost" railway. • Illustration — Omnibus Illustrated People's Calendar for the Year 1882 His work was also published in the Leipziger Volkszeitung, Das Lämplein, Die Fackel (Leipzig) and the workers' calendars Omnibus (Kalender) and the Illustrirter Neue Welt Kalender. He also wrote poems for the Ameisen-Kalender. Lavant wrote political guides for various May and Festzeitungen der Sozialdemokratie of the Social Democratic Workers' Movement. In support of the textile workers of Crimmitschaus, who were on strike for the ten-hour day and higher wages from 7 August 1903 to 17 January 1904, Lavant wrote a poem. At the age of 27, Lavant began his productivity as a socialist writer, which extended to the end of his life. Lavant wrote world-realistic agitatory verses, thought lyrics, ballad poems, but also humorous satirical verses in the Saxon language as "Fritzchen Mrweessesnich". As a poet, he introduced his talent to Leipzig's Volkszeitung from 1901 to 1914. Many of these poems (about 400) have been reprinted by foreign newspapers and have thus found a further spread, which was the joy of his satirical slaying of the small Saxon police spirit. At the beginning of World War I, many of his anti-war poems, which attempted to combat the all-out, terrible, anticultural genocide, were not published for censorship reasons. He also worked as a travel reporter, translator (Alphonse Daudet, Adrien Dézamy), editor and journalist. Due to the dissolution of the company Dürbig & Co. on 31 December 1900, the company moved to England, Richard Cramer became unemployed, he worked for this company for almost 41 years. In 1901 he again found work as an independent, sworn book reviewer of the city of Leipzig, he practiced this activity until his death. On 6 December 1915, Rudolf Lavant died in Leipzig. The funeral took place on 9 December 1915 at the Leipzig Südfriedhof.
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2173298: Rudolf Lavant
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Rudolf Lavant”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Where the work is held
Institutional memberships
Lavant is recorded as a member of TSV 1867 Leipzig, German and Austrian Alpine Club, Workers' Education Society and Verein zum Schutz der Bergwelt. Membership is stated by the bodies' own records and is not read here as evidence of office or of any particular role within them.
Authority records
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Der Nachruf von Louis Cohn einem Schriftstellerkollegen, aus der Zeitschrift „Die Glocke" Sozialistische Wochenschrift. Hrsg. Parvus, Jahrgang 1915/1916, Heft 12, Seite 700.
- 2.Rudolf Lavant der Arbeiterdichter: Zum 100-jährigen Todestag von Rudolf Lavant, eigentlich Richard Cramer. Hrsg. Gerd Cramer. Westarp Book On Demand 2015. ISBN 978-3-86460-303-7
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2173298: Rudolf LavantWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Rudolf G. BindingAuthor
- Rudolf GreinzAuthor
- Rudolf KauschkaAuthor
- Rudolf KnerAuthor
- Rudolf LeonhardAuthor
- Rudolf LindauAuthor
- Rudolf LöwensteinAuthor
- Rudolf MaisterAuthor
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