Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Fritz Reuter ( November 7 , 1810 -- July 12 , 1874 ) was a novelist from Northern Germany who was one of the most prominent contributors to lower German literature .
Simplified: Fritz Reuter ( November 7 , 1810 -- July 12 , 1874 ) was a German novelist .