Photo: 不明 / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Hugo von Hofmannsthal remains one of those literary giants I wish more people read today. A child prodigy who was publishing dazzling poetry in Vienna as a teenager, the Austrian writer became a defining voice of fin-de-siecle modernism. What fascinates me most is his collaboration with Richard Strauss, writing the librettos for Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier, which still stand among the greatest in all of opera. His famous Letter of Lord Chandos, wrestling with the limits of language itself, feels astonishingly modern. He died in 1929, but his fusion of decadence and deep moral seriousness still casts a long shadow.
Overview
Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (German: [ˈhuːɡo fɔn ˈhoːfmanstaːl] ; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Hugo von Hofmannsthal
- Name (Japanese)
- フーゴ・フォン・ホーフマンスタール
- Reading
- ふーご・ふぉん・ほーふまんすたーる
- Born
- February 1, 1874 – July 15, 1929
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Dog
- Origin
- Vienna, Austria
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- novelist / librettist / poet / playwright / writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Vienna
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Jedermann | — | |
| Notable work | Der Rosenkavalier | — | |
| Notable work | Elektra | — |
6. Links
Novelist — see all → · Librettist — see all → · More people from Austria →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.