HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL -- 1874-1929 -- PSEUDONYM "LORIS"

CHRONOLOGHY OF HIS LIFE

From a paper by Christine Pacalt
for Bob Corbett's course Turn of the Century Vienna and Coffee House Culture

The following should serve as a brief outline as to the life of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is mostly exerpted from Hugo von Hofmannsthal by Lowell A. Bangerter and from the "Materialien" to Hofmannsthal's Ein Brief and Reitergeschichte, published by Klett.

• 1874 Hugo von Hofmannsthal is born in Vienna on February 1
• 1884 Hofmannsthal enters the Wiener Akademisches Gymnasium
• 1890 Using the name Loris, Hofmannsthal publishes his first poem, "Question."
• 1891 He meets Bahr and George, and his first drama, Gestern, appears.
• 1892 He graduates from the Gymnasium, mades a trip to France, and enters law school in Vienna. Der Tod des Tizian is published, and he starts writing for George's Blätter für die Kunst.
• 1893 Finishes Der Tor und der Tod. Due to friction with George, he stops publishing in Blätter für die Kunst.
• 1894 After finishing his first Staatsexamen, he drops out of the universtity and begins active military service.
• 1895 He reenters the university to study Romance Philology. Writes Terzinen (Über Vergänglichkeit) and Das Märchen der 672 Nacht.
• 1897 Dissertation: Über den Sprachgebrauch bei den Dichtern der Plejade. He finishes several dramas.
• 1898 First performance of Die Frau im Fenster (in Berlin).
• 1899 Contact with Gerhart Hauptmann in Berlin. Finishes Reitergeschichte. Receives his doctorate in March.
• 1899 Meets Maeterlinck and Rodin
• 1901 Marriage to Gertrud Schlesinger
• 1902 Visit by Rudolf Borchardt. Daughter Christine is born. Writes Ein Brief.
• 1903 Son Franz is born. Writes Elektra. Meets Max Reinhardt. Meets with George in München.
• 1905 Meets André Gide in Paris. Work done on König Ödipus by Sophocles.
• 1906 Meets Richard Strauss. Termination of friendship with George. Son Raimund is born. Jedermann is published (prose version).
• 1909 First performance of the opera Elektra. He begins work on the libretto for Der Rosenkavalier as well as Lucidor.
• 1911 First performance of Der Rosenkavalier in Dresden. The drama Jedermann is finished and performed, but received poor reviews. He writes the libretto for Ariadne auf Naxos.
• 1912 First performance of Ariadne auf Naxos in Stuttgart.
• 1914 Hofmannsthal is recalled to duty due to WWI. He is posted in Pisino.
• 1917 He writes Der Schwierige and participates in the founding of the Salzburg Fesitval.
• 1919 Die Frau ohne Schatten premieres in Vienna.
• 1920 Jedermann is performed in Salzburg and becomes very popular.
• 1921 premiere of Der Schwierige in München.
• 1922 premiere of Das Salzburger Große Welttheater in Salzburg.
• 1923 premiere of Das Unbestechliche in Vienna. Film script of Der Rosenkavlier is written.
• 1924 Die ägyptische Helene is finished, as is the first version of Der Turm
• 1927 Arabella and the second edition of Der Turm appear.
• 1928 The two versions of Der Turm premiere simultaneously in München and Hamburg. Die ägyptische Helene premieres in Dresden. Daughter Christine weds Heinrich Zimmer.
• 1929 On July 13, son Franz commits suicide. On July 15, Hofmannsthal suffers a fatal brain hemorrhage at his home near Vienna.

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