Inspirational Quotes by Hugo von Hofmannsthal (Austrian Author)

Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874–1929) was an Austrian poet and playwright. He wrote the libretti for many of the operas of Richard Strauss, including Elektra (1909.) With Strauss and Max Reinhardt, he helped found the Salzburg Festival.

Born in Vienna, Hofmannsthal belonged to a banking family of Austro-Jewish Italian origins. While still at school, he attracted attention by his ‘lyrical dramas’ such as Gestern (1896, ‘Yesterday,’) Der Tod des Tizian (1901; The Death of Titian, 1920,) and Leben (1894, ‘Life.’) An emotional and intellectual crisis precipitated the Ein Brief (Brief des Lord Chandos an Francis Bacon) (1901, ‘A Letter from Lord Chandos,’) in which he conveys his reasons for abandoning poetry, his new hatred for abstract terms, and his doubts of the possibility of successful communication.

Afterward, Hofmannsthal devoted himself to drama. Most of his works are based on that of other dramatists: Das gerettete Venedig (1905, translated from Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserved,) and the morality plays Jedermann (1911; The Salzburg Everyman, 1930) and Das Salzburger große Welttheater (1922, ‘The Great World Theatre of Salzburg,’ based on Pedro Calderon De La Barca’s El Gran Teatro Del Mundo.)

One of Hofmannsthal’s major works is the comedy Der Schwierige (1921; The Difficult Man, 1963.) Having renounced Stefan George and his circle, Hofmannsthal turned to the composer Richard Strauss, for whom he wrote the libretti for Der Rosenkavalier (1911, ‘Knight of the Rose,’) Ariadne auf Naxos (1912) and other works. With Strauss and Max Reinhardt, he was instrumental in founding the Salzburg Festival after World War I.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Hugo von Hofmannsthal