Johannes von Saaz

Johannes von Saaz (Johannes von Tepl)yōhän´əs fən zäts, tĕp´əl [key], c.1350–c.1414, Bohemian humanist and writer. Johannes is best known for his powerful work Der Ackermann aus Böhmen (c.1400, tr. Death and the Plowman), a dialogue between Death and a recently widowed farmer. Among the first prose works in Modern High German, it is characterized by medieval style and form but it embodies Renaissance spirit in its defense of mankind.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: German Literature: Biographies