Hugo Hofmannsthal

a.k.a. Hugo Laurenz August Hoffman von Hofmmansthal, Loris *

Author Code: GHHO

Educated at the Akademische Gymnasium in Vienna, Hugo began to write poems and plays from an early age. He had acquired a thorough knowledge of French and Greek and was accomplished in Italian.He published his first poetry when he was 16, using the pseudonym of Loris. He studied law and aesthetics at Vienna University and was awarded a doctorate in 1899. In 1895, he served in the 6th Dragoons and achieved the rank of Wachtmeister in the 8th Ulanen. Thereafter, he served as a reserve officer. In 1905, he resigned his commission and devoted his time to writing. During the First World War, he served as a reserve officer before moving to the War Office. He was a firm believer in the war and was bitterly disappointed in the breakup of the Hapsburg Empire following the war. Hofmannsthal met and befriended many notables including Richard Strauss, for which he wrote many libretti, and Stefan George who published several of his poems in his journal, Blatter fur die Kunst. Hofmannsthal produced a large quantity of plays that were highly successful, plus he was an excellent essayist. He was also a noted anthologist and editor. His many works include Der Tor und der Tod (1893), Poesie und Leben (1896), Elektra (1903), Odipus und der Sphinx (1906), Jedermann (1911), Gedichte (1922) and Der Turm (1925).