Grillparzer, Franz

PLAYWRIGHT, POET (AUSTRIA)
BORN 15 Jan 1791, Wien - DIED 21 Jan 1872, Wien
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Hietzinger Friedhof, Maxingstraße 15, Hietzing (Gruppe 13, Nummer 107)

Son of an advocate and a mother from a musical family. In 1807 he entered University in Vienna, but after his father died in 1809 he became a pricate tutor. Subsequently he worked at the court library and became a clerk.

In 1817 his tragedy "Die Ahnfrau" ("The Ancestress") made him famous and in 1818 he was engaged at the Hofburgtheater as a poet. In 1821 he completed his trilogy "Das goldene Vlies" ("The Golden Fleece"). His historical tragedies led to a conflict with the Austrian censor, a difficult situation because he was working for the state himself.

He met Katharina Fröhlich (1801-1879) in 1821 and fell in love with her, but his hesitation to marry her tore him apart year after year. He never married her.

In 1826 he visited Goethe at Weimar and in 1832 he became director of the archives of the Hofkammer. Around this time he published "Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen" (1831) and "Der Traum, ein Leben" (1834) and a comedy, "But Weh dem, der lügt" followed in 1838. Its failure hit him hard.

After the revolution of 1848 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences and Heinrich Laube staged his plays at the Burgtheater. From 1849 onwards he rented a room at the house of Katherine and he remained friends with her and her three sistes until his death. When he died in 1872 he was mourned by the nation. He was buried at the Währinger Ortsfriedhof in Vienna, but in later years his remains were transferred to Hietzing Cemetery.

Related persons
• has a connection with Beethoven, Ludwig van
• was a friend of Bogner-Fröhlich, Barbara
• was a friend of Fröhlich, Anna
• was a friend of Fröhlich, Josefine
• was engaged to Fröhlich, Katharina
• visited Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
• met Heyse, Paul
• was drawn by Kriehuber, Josef
• has a connection with Paoli, Betty
• has a connection with Pichler, Karoline
• visited Rettich, Julie
• was painted by Schmeller, Johann Joseph
• met Schumann, Robert
• was a friend of Schwindt, Moritz von

Images

The grave of Franz Grillparzer at Hietzing cemetery, Vienna.
Picture by Androom (24 Jan 1999)

 

Sources
• Bauer, Werner T., Wiener Friedhofsführer, Genaue Beschreibung sämtlicher Begräbnisstätten nebst einer Geschichte des Wiener Bestattungswesens, Falter Verlag, Wien, 1991
• Brook, Stephen (e.a.), Vienna, Dorling Kindersley, London, 1995
Franz Grillparzer - Wikipedia


Grimm, Herman Friedrich

Published: 25 Jan 2009
Last update: 25 Apr 2022