Other Literary Forms
In addition to drama, Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s works include several novellas, a large number of poems, and essays on literary, philosophical, and political topics, as well as translations into German of Greek, French, and Spanish dramas. Autobiographical reflections, including the crucial self-interpretation entitled Ad me ipsum (1930), as well as Hofmannsthal’s extensive correspondence, fictitious letters, and fictitious dialogues, are published in the fifteen-volume Gesammelte Werke in Einzelausgaben (1945-1959).
Achievements
The name Hugo von Hofmannsthal means many things to many people. Some see his achievement primarily in the depth of his philosophical poems and in the formal perfection of those poems. Others know him as the cofounder (with Max Reinhardt) of the Salzburg Festival , for which he created Everyman, a modern version of the old morality play, and The Salzburg Great Theatre of the World. Many music lovers know only Hofmannsthal the librettist, who wrote the texts for Richard Strauss’s operas The Cavalier of the Rose, Arabella, and several others. Still others appreciate primarily his comic genius, both as an original playwright and as an adapter of comedies by Molière and Pedro Calderón de la Barca. The truth is that Hofmannsthal excelled in all the above mentioned literary spheres and was one of the foremost poets and dramatists of the twentieth century.
Bibliography
Bangerter, Lowell A. Hugo von Hofmannsthal. New York: F. Ungar, 1977. A critical analysis of selected works by Hofmannsthal. Includes an index and a bibliography.
Beniston, Judith. Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934. Leeds, England: W. S. Maney, 1998. This study of Catholic drama in Austria compares and contrasts the works of Hofmannsthal and Richard von Kralik. Bibliography and index.
Bennett, Benjamin. Hugo von Hofmannsthal: The Theaters of Consciousness. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. A critical analysis and interpretation of Hofmannsthal’s literary works. Bibliography and index.
Broch, Hermann and Michael P. Steinberg, trans. Hugo von Hofmannsthal and His Time: The European Imagination, 1860-1920. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
Del Caro, Adrian. Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Poets and the Language of Life. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993. Del Caro argues that Hofmannsthal was an early opponent of aestheticism and was an heir of Friedrich Nietzsche in his search for a legitimate source for values. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Hammelmann, Hanns A. Hugo von Hofmannsthal. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1957. A short introductory biography of Hofmannsthal. Includes bibliographic references.
Hofmannsthal, Hugo von. The Whole Difference: Selected Writings of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Edited by J. D. McClatchy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University, 2008. This selection contains his most significant works and includes essays, poems, short fiction, and plays. The range of works presented gives readers a sense of Hofmannsthal’s diversity. Includes a useful introduction.
Joyce, Douglas A. Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s “Der Schwierige”: A Fifty-Year Theater History. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 1993. This study examines the stage history of Hofmannsthal’s The Difficult Man. Bibliography.
Kovach, Thomas A. Hofmannsthal and Symbolism: Art and Life in the Work of a Modern Poet. New York: P. Lang, 1985. A biographical and critical study of Hofmannsthal’s life and work. Includes bibliographic references and an index.
Michael, Nancy C. Elektra and Her Sisters: Three Female Characters in Schnitzler, Freud, and Hofmannsthal. New York: Peter Lang, 2001. This study examines the role of Elektra and other women characters in Hofmannsthal’s Electra and in the writings of Arthur Schnitzler and Sigmund Freud. Bibliography and index.
Vilain, Robert. The Poetry of Hugo von Hofmannsthal and French Symbolism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Vilain suggests that Hofmannsthal’s early interest in the works of the French Symbolists had an inhibiting effect on his own poetry. Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Yates, W. E. Schnitzler, Hofmannsthal, and the Austrian Theatre. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1992. An examination of the Austrian theater in the early twentieth century, with emphasis on Hofmannsthal and Arthur Schnitzler.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.
