Hofmannsthal, Hugo von 1874-1929
Austrian poet and dramatist

He was born in Vienna into a banking family of Austro-Jewish-Italian origins, and while still at school he attracted attention by his 'lyrical dramas' such as Gestern (1896, 'Yesterday'), Der Tod des Tizian (1901, Eng trans The Death of Titian, 1920) and Leben (1894, 'Life'). An emotional and intellectual crisis precipitated the Ein Brief des Lord Chandos (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. Thenceforth he devoted himself to drama, most of his works being based on that of other dramatists: Das gerettete Venedig (1905, translated from Thomas Otway's Venice Preserved), and the morality plays Jedermann (1911, Eng trans The Salzburg Everyman, 1930) and Das Salzburger grosse Welttheater (1922, 'The Great World Theatre of Salzburg', based on Calder�n de la Barca's El gran teatro del mundo). One of his major works is the comedy, Der Schwierige (1921, Eng trans 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. His statue there was demolished by the Nazis in 1938.