Christian Gryphius, the son of the great dramatist and poet Andreas Gryphius, did not have his father's poetic talent, and none of his works can be considered literature of the highest quality. But the younger Gryphius is worthy of attention because of his many and extensive compendiums--important reference works of the late seventeenth century; his historically significant cycle of school dramas; and a sizable collection of poems that clearly show the late-seventeenth-century trend toward stylistic simplicity. His contributions as a teacher also tell a great deal about the nature of education in the late baroque era. Gryphius was, moreover, an active correspondent, and the extensive collection of his letters and other writings at the university library in Wroclaw (formerly Breslau) is a uniquely valuable source of information about his era.

Gryphius was born on 29 September 1649 in Fraustadt, Silesia (today in Poland), the first child of Andreas and Rosina...