Kurd Lasswitz
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Kurd Laßwitz (April 20,1848 – October 17,1910) was a German author, scientist, and philosopher. He has been called the father of German science fiction. His name is also spelled Lasswitz.
Laßwitz studied mathematics and physics in Breslau and Berlin, and earned his doctorate in 1873. He spent most of his career as a professor at the Gymnasium Ernestinsium in Gotha.
He earned his reputation with his 1897 novel Auf Zwei Welten ("On Two Planets"), which describes the encounter between humans and a Martian civilization that is older and more advanced. It reached a publication of more than 70,000 books, when it was suppressed by the Nazi government in the 1930s for being "too democratic".
A crater on Mars was named in his honor, as was the asteroid 46514 Lasswitz.
There also is a Kurd Laßwitz Preis which is awarded to German-speaking authors of science fiction since 1980.
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