Hugo von Hofmannsthal

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(b Vienna, 1 Feb 1874; d there, 15 July 1929). Austrian poet and dramatist. He wrote librettos for Strauss's Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die ägyptische Helena and Arabella.

The Austrian poet, dramatist, and essayist Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1929) is best known for his opera librettos. He is also considered a master of German lyric poetry.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal was born in Vienna and spent most of his life there. He charmed the literary world at the age of 17. Hofmannsthal belonged to the circle of Jung-Wien poets, who were little affected by the naturalistic tendencies of their time. He was strongly influenced by the neoromantic movement and European symbolism.

Hofmannsthal's first period (1890-1899) began when the sensitive youth mingled with artists and men of letters in Vienna's famous Café Griensteidl. His first poems, critical essays, and lyrical playlets (two of which were professionally performed on the Berlin stage) appeared under the pseudonym Loris Melikow. The first of a dozen verse plays written in this period, Gestern (1891; Yesterday), shows him still a beginner, but with Der Tod des Tizian (1892; Death of Titian) and especially Der Tor und der Tod (1893; Death and the Fool), he reaches maturity as a master of German verse.

Hofmannsthal's middle phase (1900-1918) saw his greatest public success. In 1902, convinced that words had no meaning and that communication was impossible, he manifested this obsession in his famous literary credo Brief des Lord Chandos. His lyrical production ceased abruptly, and he turned instead to writing plays, opera, and even ballet. His most famous work from this period is Jedermann (1911; Everyman), based on a 15th-century English morality play and now produced every year at the Salzburg Festival. Other works from this phase are Elektra (1903), Der Rosenkavalier (1911), and Ariadne auf Naxos (1912), which were set to music by Richard Strauss. Thus began the close cooperation between Hofmannsthal and Strauss which was to last for 2 decades.

Hofmannsthal's last period (1919-1929) includes the delightful comedy Der Schwierige (1921; The Difficult Gentleman). But the collapse of the Hapsburg Empire in 1918 was for him a personal tragedy from which he never fully recovered. In a series of essays he spoke as an ardent interpreter and advocate of Austria and its cultural heritage.

To the Salzburg Festivals, which he confounded with Max Reinhardt, he dedicated Das Salzburger Grosse Welttheater (1922). Other works of this period are Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919; The Woman without a Shadow), which Strauss set to music, and, his last and most ambitious work, the tragedy Der Turm (1923; The Tower).

Hugo von Hofmannsthal lived with his wife and children in Rodaun, outside Vienna. He died there on July 15, 1929.

Further Reading

Austrian novelist Herman Broch wrote the best introduction to the work of Hofmannsthal available in English translation in Hofmannsthal's Selected Prose (1952). The Institute of Germanic Languages of the University of London, which had arranged a Hofmannsthal exhibition, published a collection of essays as volume 5 of its series, Frederick Norman, ed., Hofmannsthal: Studies in Commemoration (1963), which contains a useful bibliography on Hofmannsthal. Ronald Gray, The German Tradition in Literature, 1871-1945 (1965), has a section on Hofmannsthal.

Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (1874–1929), Austrian writer and dramatist. With his drama Jedermann (Everyman, 1911) and the essay ‘Der Brief des Philipp Lord Chandos an Francis Bacon’ (‘Letter of Philip Lord Chandos to Francis Bacon’, 1925), he became one of the leading writers of the ‘Jung‐Wiener Gruppe’. His esteem for the Thousand and One Nights (see Arabian Nights) is evident in his early fairy tale ‘Das Märchen der 672. Nacht’ (‘Fairy Tale of the 672nd Night’, 1895). In this narrative a rich young man gets lost in a labyrinthine town and meets his death in a nightmarish atmosphere. Whereas this fairy tale is determined by the fin‐de‐siècle mood, Hofmannsthal turned to the romantic tradition in his posthumously published fairy‐tale fragments ‘Das Märchen von der verschleierten Frau’ (‘Fairy Tale of the Veiled Woman’) and ‘Die Prinzessin auf dem verzauberten Berg’ (‘The Princess on the Enchanted Mountain’). In addition, Hofmannsthal rewrote his libretto for Richard Strauss's fairy‐tale opera Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow, 1919) as a prose version, which is often regarded as his best fairy tale. Influenced by Novalis and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, this allegorical work reveals a social utopian dimension and thus deviates from the early works' pessimistic tenor.

Bibliography

• Csúri, Károly, ‘Hugo von Hofmannsthals späte Erzählung “Die Frau ohne Schatten”. Struktur und Strukturvergleich’, Studia Poetica, 2 (1980).
• Kümmerling‐Meibauer, Bettina, Die Kunstmärchen von Hofmannsthal, Musil und Döblin (1991).

— Bettina Kümmerling‐Meibauer

Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (Vienna, 1874-1929, Rodaun), of part Austrian Jewish, part Italian extraction, was brought up in Vienna in well-to-do circumstances. At the Akademisches Gymnasium he acquired an exceptionally thorough knowledge of the French and Greek languages and literatures, and was accomplished in Italian. A youthful prodigy, he published his first poetry at the age of 16 under the pseudonym Loris, though he used the pseudonym Theophil Morren for Gestern (1890), a one-act play in rich voluptuous verse with a Renaissance setting. At Vienna University (1892-4) he studied aesthetics, but his principal subject was law, in which he took the first Staatsexamen. In 1895 he served in the 6th Dragoons in Göding (Moravia), and was transferred with the rank of Wachtmeister to the 8th Ulanen, and promoted to the reserve of officers before he resumed his studies at Vienna University, where he took up Romance literature and in 1899 gained a doctorate for his thesis Über den Sprachgebrauch bei den Dichtern der Plejade. In 1901 he completed his Habilitationsschrift Studie über die Entwicklung des Dichters Viktor Hugo. But he decided against an academic career, and later (1905) also resigned his commission, devoting himself entirely to writing. He married the daughter of the General Secretary of the Anglo-Austrian Bank, Gerty Schlesinger. The couple made their home in Rodaun near Vienna. The eldest son of the marriage committed suicide two days before Hofmannsthal's death. From early adolescence Hofmannsthal combined an introspective nature with a deep sense of commitment to the preservation of European culture. During the 1914-18 War he served for a year as a reserve officer before obtaining an appointment in the War Office. He accompanied missions to Switzerland and Scandinavia.

As a young man Hofmannsthal made the acquaintance of men of letters and artists in the literary salon of Josephine von Wertheimstein. He regularly frequented the Café Griensteidl with L. von Andrian, A. Schnitzler, H. Bahr, R. Beer-Hofmann. For a short time he came into close contact with Stefan George, but George's authoritarian stance caused Hofmannsthal to break away from his circle. Up to 1904 some of his writings were published in George's Blätter für die Kunst.

Hofmannsthal's early work is characterized by a luxuriant aestheticism and a fin de siècle melancholy. It includes Der Tod des Tizian (1892, a fragment), Der Tor und der Tod (1893), Der Kaiser und die Hexe, Der weiße Fächer, Die Frau im Fenster, Das kleine Welttheater, all 1897, and the Vorspiel to Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1899). Die Hochzeit der Sobeide and Der Abenteurer und die Sängerin both appeared in 1899. By this time Hofmannsthal had begun to react against the magniloquence of his lyrical vein. This reaction is expressed in the Brief des Lord Chandos (written in 1901, and published in 1902). Despite the historical perspectives contained in the Brief, it is generally regarded as an autobiographical document as well as part of his narrative fiction, in which he explored new modes of poetic expression in objective form. Das Märchen der 672. Nacht (published in Die Zeit in 1895) was followed at the turn of the century by Reitergeschichte (1899) and Das Erlebnis des Marschalls von Bassompierre (1900). Andreas oder Die Vereinigten (written in 1912-13, but not published until 1930) was planned as a novel (Entwicklungsroman, see Bildungsroman) in 1907. A fragment from this year bears the title Venezianisches Reisetagebuch des Herrn von N. Hofmannsthal's narrative work reflects what he variously expressed as a ‘Sprachkrise’, ‘Lebenskrise’, and ‘seelische Krise’. He used prose in the Venetian comedy Cristinas Heimreise (1910). But he also explored a new path expressing subconscious motivation in the disciplined verse of Elektra (1904), Ödipus und die Sphinx (1906), König Ödipus (1907), and Otway's Venice Preserved presented as Das gerettete Venedig (1905). Kleine Dramen, a collection of his earlier plays, appeared in 1907 In 1900 R. Strauss rejected Hofmannsthal's scenario for a ballet (Der Triumph der Zeit), but in 1906 he chose Elektra as the basis for the libretto of an opera (Elektra, 1909), thus opening a period of close collaboration which lasted until Hofmannsthal's death. The resulting operas are Der Rosenkavalier (1911), Ariadne auf Naxos (1912), Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919), Die Ägyptische Helena (1928), and Arabella (1933). They also co-operated in the ballet Josephslegende (1912).

Hofmannsthal became closely associated with the Salzburger Festspiele, for which he wrote Jedermann (1911) and Das Salzburger große Welttheater (1922). The 1914-18 War destroyed Hofmannsthal's Austro-Hungarian world, and the reflection of its qualities and the echo of its fall are perceptible in all his post-war writings, in which his witty, nostalgic Viennese comedies Der Schwierige (1921) and Der Unbestechliche (performed 1923, revised version posth. 1956) stand out. Der Turm (1925), his last tragedy, is the outcome of a protracted confrontation with the problems of power, violence, and humanity. His posthumously published works include not only the last opera written with Strauss, but also, in 1933, the completed Das Bergwerk von Falun (the final title) and a revision of Der Turm (1956).

As an essayist Hofmannsthal made a notable contribution with Der Dichter und diese Zeit (1906) and with Über die Pantomime (1911), which sums up his approach to ballet, dance, rhythm, and mime. The post-war essays are devoted to his endeavour to conserve and restore the values of a threatened civilization. They include Beethoven (1920), Blick auf den geistigen Zustand Europas (1921), Griechenland (1922), Vermächtnis der Antike (1926), and Schrifttum als geistiger Raum der Nation (1927).

Most of Hofmannsthal's poems were written early, and published separately and anonymously. A selection, Ausgewählte Gedichte, appeared in 1903, the Gesammelte Gedichte in 1907. Among the best known of his poems are ‘Vorfrühling’, ‘Ballade des äußeren Lebens’, ‘Manche freilich …’, and ‘Terzinen über Vergänglichkeit’.

Hofmannsthal's Aufzeichnungen (1959) include the important document Ad me ipsum, which provides the word ‘Präexistenz’ for his early phase of devotion to the magic of words, out of which the way to ‘Existenz’ is found through introversion and self-sacrifice, motifs which recur, often in mystical form, in his later work, though the division of his work into distinct phases is an over-simplification.

Hofmannsthal was a notable anthologist. He was general editor of Die österreichische Bibliothek (26 vols., 1915-17), to which he himself contributed the Grillparzer volume. He also edited Deutsche Erzähler (1921), Deutsches Lesebuch (2 Pts., 1922-3), Deutsche Epigramme (1923), and Wert und Ehre deutscher Sprache (1927).

Letters from his vast correspondence were published posthumously in Briefe 1890 bis 1909 (2 vols., 1935-7). Other editions of letters (with date of first publication) include his correspondence with R. Strauss (1926, revised 1964), Wildgans (1971), George (1938), E. von Bodenhausen (1953), R. Borchardt (1953), C. J. Burckhardt (1956), Carossa (1960), Schnitzler (1964), Helene von Nostitz (1965), E. K. von Bebenburg (1966), L. von Andrian-Werburg (1968), Graf Kessler (1968), W. Haas (1969), J. Redlich (1971), R. Beer-Hofmann (1972), S. and H. Fischer, O. Bie, and M. Heimann (1973), Rilke (1978), M. Mell (1982), P. Zifferer (1984), and R. Pannwitz (1993). Gesammelte Werke in Einzelausgaben (15 vols.), ed. H. Steiner, appeared 1945-59; Gesammelte Werke in zehn Einzelbänden, ed. B. Schoeller and R. Hirsch, 1979-80; Sämtliche Werke. Kritische Ausgabe (c.38 vols.), ed. R. Hirsch, 1975 ff.; Christiane von Hofmannsthals Tagebücher 1918-1923 und Briefe des Vaters an die Tochter 1903-1929, ed. M. Rauch and G. Schuster, in 1991.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (February 1, 1874, Salesianergasse 12, Landstraße^[1] - July 15, 1929), was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist.

Life

His birth house at Reisnerstraße 37, Landstraße, Vienna 3.

Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, the son of an upper-class Austrian mother and an Austrian-Italian bank manager. His great-grandfather, Isaak Löw Hofmann, Edler von Hofmannsthal, from whom his family inherited the noble title "Edler von Hofmannsthal," was a Jewish merchant ennobled by the Austrian emperor. He began to write poems and plays from an early age. He met the German poet Stefan George at the age of seventeen and had several poems published in George's journal, Blätter für die Kunst. He studied law and later philology in Vienna but decided to devote himself to writing upon graduating in 1901. Along with Peter Altenberg and Arthur Schnitzler, he was a member of the avant garde group Young Vienna (Jung Wien).

In 1900, Hofmannsthal met the composer Richard Strauss for the first time. He later wrote libretti for several of his operas, including Elektra (1909), Der Rosenkavalier (1911), Ariadne auf Naxos (1912, rev. 1916), Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919), Die ägyptische Helena (1927), and Arabella (1933).

In 1901, he married Gertrud (Gerty) Schlesinger, the daughter of a Viennese banker. Gerty, who was Jewish, converted to Christianity before their marriage. They settled in Rodaun, not far from Vienna, and had three children.

In 1912 he adapted the 15th century English morality play Everyman as Jedermann, and Jean Sibelius (amongst others) wrote incidental music for it. The play later became a staple at the Salzburg Festival.

During the First World War Hofmannsthal held a government post. He wrote speeches and articles supporting the war effort, and emphasizing the cultural tradition of Austria–Hungary. The end of the war spelled the end of the old monarchy in Austria; this was a blow from which the patriotic and conservative-minded Hofmannsthal never fully recovered.

Nevertheless the years after the war were very productive ones for Hofmannsthal; he continued with his earlier literary projects, almost without a break. In 1920, Hofmannsthal, along with Max Reinhardt, founded the Salzburg Festival. His later plays revealed a growing interest in religious, particularly Roman Catholic, themes. Among his writings was a screenplay for a film version of Der Rosenkavalier (1925) directed by Robert Wiene.

On July 13, 1929 his son Franz committed suicide. Two days later, Hofmannsthal himself died of a stroke at Rodaun (now part of Liesing). He was buried wearing the habit of a Franciscan tertiary, as he had requested.

Thought

On October 18, 1902, Hofmannsthal published a fictive letter in the Berlin Daily, Der Tag (The Day) titled simply "Ein Brief" ("A Letter"). It was purportedly written in 1603 by Philip, Lord Chandos to Francis Bacon. In this letter Chandos says that he has stopped writing because he has "lost completely the ability to think or to speak of anything coherently"; he has given up on the possibility of language to describe the world. This letter reflects the growing distrust of and dissatisfaction with language that so characterizes the Modern era, and Chandos's dissolving personality is not only individual but societal.

Growing up the son of a wealthy merchant who was well connected with the major artists of the time, Hofmannsthal was raised in what Carl Schorske refers to as "the temple of art". This perfect setting for aesthetic isolation allowed Hofmannsthal the unique perspective of the privileged artist, but also allowed him to see that art had become a flattened documenting of humanity, which took our instincts and desires and framed them for viewing without acquiring any of the living, passionate elements. Because of this realization, Hofmannsthal’s idea of the role of the artist began to take shape as someone who created works that would inspire or inflame the instinct, rather than merely preserving it in a creative form. He also began to think that the artist should not be someone isolated and left to his art, but rather a man of the world, immersed in both politics and art.

Hofmannsthal saw in English culture the ideal setting for the artist. This was because the English simultaneously admired Admiral Nelson and John Milton, both war heroes and poets, while still maintaining a solid national identity. "In [Hofmannsthal’s] view, the division between artist (writer) and man of action (politician, explorer, soldier) does not exist in England. Britain provides her subjects with a common base of energy which functions as equilibrium, a force lacking in fragmented Germany". (Weiss) This singular and yet pragmatic identity must have appealed to Hofmannsthal to a certain degree due to the large scale fragmentation of Austria at the time, which was in the throes of radical nationalism and anti-Semitism, a nation in which the progressive artist and the progressive politician were growing more different and hostile to each other by the day.

Present-day descendants

Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal, great-grandson of Hugo, is married to Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal, nee Armstrong-Jones, daughter of the 1st Earl of Snowdon (former husband of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon) and his second wife, Lucy Mary Davies.

Selected works

Plays

• Der Tor und der Tod (1891)
• Der Tod des Tizian (1901)
• Elektra (1904)
• Ödipus und die Sphinx (1906)
• Die Frau im Fenster (1909)
• Jedermann (1911)
• Der Schwierige (1921)
• Das Salzburger grosse Welttheater (1922)
• Der Turm (1925)

Libretti

• Elektra (1909)
• Der Rosenkavalier (1911)
• Ariadne auf Naxos (1912, rev. 1916)
• Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919)
• Die ägyptische Helena (1927)
• Arabella (1933)

References

This article incorporates material from the German Wikipedia.

• Broch, Hermann (Author), Steinberg, Michael P. (Translator). Hugo von Hofmannsthal and His Time: The European Imagination, 1860–1920, University Of Chicago Press, 1984, ISBN 978-0226075167.
• McClatchy, J. D. (editor). The Whole Difference: Selected Writings of Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0691129099. Chapter 1 contains a brief biography.
• Schorske, Carl E. Fin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture, 1980
• Weiss, Winifred. Comparative Literature. Vol 25, no. 1. (Winter, 1973) pp. 60–67

1. ^ Prof.Dr.Klaus Lohrmann "Jüdisches Wien. Kultur-Karte" (2003), Mosse-Berlin Mitte gGmbH (Verlag Jüdische Presse)

External links

• Hugo von Hofmannthal Resource Center
• University of Washington Vienna 1900 Page

See also: Hofmann von Hofmannsthal

Persondata
NAME	Hofmannsthal, Hugo von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist
DATE OF BIRTH	February 1, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH	Vienna
DATE OF DEATH	July 15, 1929
PLACE OF DEATH	Rodaun, Vienna

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