Lenz, Jakob Michael Reinhold, 1751-92, German writer. He was a friend of Goethe, whom he first imitated, then lampooned. A gifted poet, he wrote lyric poems; plays, including the comedies Der Hofmeister (1774) and Die Soldaten (1776); and critical works, notably Anmerkungen übers Theater [remarks on the theater] (1774). He is a principal representative of the Sturm und Drang movement.