German author: Auerbach was a poet and novelist who wrote in German (
Wikipedia).
Famous for village stories: His most well-known works are his collections of stories about life in the Black Forest region of Germany, titled
Schwarzwälder Dorfgeschichten (Black Forest Village Stories) (
Britannica).
Founder of a genre: Auerbach is credited with founding the German "tendency novel," a style of fiction that uses storytelling to address social, political, and religious issues (
Wikipedia).
Life span: He lived from 1812 to 1882
