Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Biography

Hugo von Hofmannsthal's family was of Austrian-Jewish-Lombard origin. His first novel, "Yesterday," was published in 1891 under the code name "Theophil Morren," which caused a stir among the public. In Stefan George's "Blättern der Kunst" von Hofmannsthal published many of his poems under the pseudonym "Loris". In 1892 he began studying law at the University of Vienna. The lyric drama "The Death of Titian" was written during this time. He wrote a lyrical prologue for Arthur Schnitzler's drama "Anatol". A year later, von Hofmannsthal wrote the one-act play "The Thor and Death". After passing his state law examination in 1894, Hugo von Hofmannsthal volunteered for one year of military service in the Dragoon Regiment in Göding in 1895. Shortly afterwards, his first publications appeared in Paul Cassirer's art magazine "PAN". Von Hofmannsthal received his doctorate in philosophy in 1898. That year, the drama "Woman in the Window" was performed in Berlin for the first time. Von Hofmannsthal turned away from poetry and wrote more and more operas for the theater. In 1901, von Hofmannsthal gave up his habilitation in Romance philology and settled down as a freelance writer. He married Gertrud Schlesinger, with whom he had three children. During this time he wrote "A Letter", the Lord Chandos Letter. In 1906, Hugo von Hofmannsthal began working with the composer Richard Strauss, who set his opera texts to music. The operas "Elektra", the comedy "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Ariadne auf Naxos" date from the years 1909 to 1912. At the beginning of the First World War, in 1914, von Hofmannsthal devoted himself to cultural-political tasks in the War Welfare Office. In 1917, Strauss and von Hofmannstahl took part in the Salzburg Festival. The tragedy "The Tower" and the drama "The Difficult" were created in 1920 and 1921. Hugo von Hofmannstahl's eldest son committed suicide on July 13, 1929. Hugo von Hofmannsthal died two days later, shortly before the funeral, on July 15, 1929. The lyric opera "Arabella", on which Richard Strauss also worked, was premiered posthumously.