Richard Beer-Hofmann

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Richard Beer-Hofmann (born 11 July 1866 in Vienna — died 26 September 1945 in New York) was an Austrian dramatist and poet.

After the early death of his mother, Beer-Hofmann was raised by his aunt's family in Brno and Vienna. In the 1880s he studied law in Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1890. In the same year he became acquainted with the writers Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hermann Bahr and Arthur Schnitzler, with whom he shared a long friendship. He consequently began his literary activities as a freelance writer.

At first Beer-Hofmann wrote novellas, later moving on to short stories and poetry. In the 1920s he worked as a theatre director for Max Reinhardt, a role which continued until 1932. In 1939 Beer-Hofmann emigrated from Austria, and travelled to New York via Zurich. Subsequently his works were banned in Austria and Germany. In 1945 he became an American citizen, but died within the same year.

Beer-Hofmann's literary output consists primarily of novellas, dramas, and poems. It can be considered part of the literary current of the Wiener Moderne. Beer-Hofmann received several notable literary awards, including the Volksschillerpreis in 1905 in Germany and the award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1945 in the United States. One year after his death the Beer-Hofmann Society was created in New York.

[edit] Works

Novellen
Der Tod Georgs
Der Graf von Charolais
Gedenkrede auf Wolfgang Amadée Mozart
Trilogy “Die Historie von König David” (uncompleted)
- Jakobs Traum
- Der junge David
Paula. Ein Fragment
Verse
Schlaflied für Mirjam