Hugo von Hofmannsthal was born in Vienna as the great grandson of Isaac Loew Hoffmann, the first Jew in Austria to be granted nobility by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. His grandfather, however, had already converted to the Roman Catholic Church, but Hofmannsthal never denied his ancestry. He grew up in a wealthy family, where culture and literature were highly regarded.
Hugo von Hofmannsthal matured early and in his late teens published his first literary essays and lyric plays. These included Gestern (Yesterday) (1891), Der Tod des Tizian (The Death of Tizian) (1892), Der Tor und der Tod (The Fool and Death) (1893). He was still a young man when Arthur Schnitzler adopted him as his protégé. Schnitzler introduced him to Theodor Herzl as a promising writer for the newspaper Neue Freie Presse. Hugo von Hofmannsthal studied at the University of Vienna, not for a degree but solely for his pleasure. During this time he also traveled frequently. Hofmannsthal was an outstanding exponent of Viennese impressionism and symbolism. His literary works reflect his delicate, sensitive and melancholy nature. He regarded the decadent, permissive cultural gender prevailing in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century repulsive, and turned for inspiration to old classics.
Many of his works are adaptations of Greek, English and Spanish dramas notably Electra (1903), Oedipus and The Sphinx (1906), Alextis (1911) and others. Among his most successful plays a mention should be made of Jederman (1911) – based on the medieval English mystery play Everyman was commissioned by Max Reinhardt for the Salzburg Festival. Some of his plays served as librettos for Richard Strauss’s operas, such as Electra, the Rosenkavalier (1911) and the Turm depicting a Jewish character called Simon. The music for Die Joseph Legende (The Legend of Joseph), written by Hofmannsthal and Count Harry Kessler for the Russian Ballet, was composed by Richard Strauss.
Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s complete works, compiled in 12 volumes, were published in 1946-1950.