In the framework of their annual conference, the editors and experts working on the Historical-Critical Edition of the Works and Letters of Adalbert Stifter organized a symposium in Linz (St. Magdalena) from 22 to 25 October 2003 with the programmatic title AStifter and Stifter Research in the 21st CenturyA. The aim of the symposium was to make a significant contribution to the Stifter anniversary in 2005 (the 200th anniversary of his birth) concentrating on the topics 'biography - science - poetics' and reviewing and evaluating the research findings notably of the last 10 years with a view to formulating goals, tasks, and perspectives for future research on this author.