FRENSSEN, GUSTAV

born Oct. 19, 1863, Barlt, Holstein died April 11, 1945, Barlt, Ger. novelist who was the foremost exponent of Heimatkunst (regionalism) in German fiction. Frenssen studied theology and spent 10 years as a Lutheran pastor. His critical attitude toward orthodoxy, however, which later developed into a total rejection of Christianity, together with the resounding success of his third novel, Jrn Uhl (1901), led him to resign his pastorate and devote all his time to writing. Although Frenssen at times made liberal concessions to the popular taste of the moment, he owed his success, in large part, to the vitality of his characters and the charm and beauty he lent to the locale of his novelsthe shores of the North Sea. About half of Frenssen's novels were translated into English. Among them are: Die drei Getreuen (1898; The Three Comrades); Jrn Uhl (1901); Hilligenlei (1905; Holyland); Peter Moors Fahrt nach Sdwest (1907; Peter Moor's Journey to Southwest Africa); Klaus Heinrich Baas (1909); Der Pastor von Poggsee (1921; The Pastor of Poggsee); and the autobiographical Otto Babendiek (1926; abridged, The Anvil).