Burkhard Waldis (also known as Burchard, and referred to as Burchardus Vualdis Hessus in Wittenberg records) was one of the principal sixteenth-century playwrights who helped to transform the medieval Fastnachtspiel (Shrovetide play) into a new dramatic form, one that began a new chapter in the history of German literature. But Waldis was far more than a dramatist. His influential collection of fables (part Aesop's, part his own), his translation of the Psalms, his polemics against the duke of Brunswick, and his revival of the Teuerdank legend attest to his skill and flexibility and to the turbulent life that affected his many writings.

Waldis was born around 1490 into a wealthy and respected family in the Hessian town of Allendorf an der Werra. His father was probably Hermann Waldis, who enjoyed the prestigious positions of alderman and chamberlain in Allendorf. The earliest available records of Burkhard Waldis's life place him...