National Image, which to a country is what character is for a person, ranks as an extremely important concern for every nation and for the people living in it. Nowhere is this more true than in Austria which depends heavily on tourism and which welcomes foreign investment. Indeed, image for Austria becomes doubly important, for throughout its history the country has always stood in the shadow of Germany in the view of the outside world, where even the greatest Austrian accomplishments in all of the arts have generally been subsumed under the rubric of German literature, art, and music. In this context the aim of the essays contained here is to establish what the image of Austria has been historically and what it is today. The contributions examine the view of Austria projected in the writings of American, Austrian and German authors, ranging from the late nineteenth century to the present. While recognising the many appealing qualities -- the natural beauty and the former grandeur of the Monarchy -- the writers at home and abroad have at the same time candidly and unsparingly criticised political and social problems. All together the analyses result in a multifaceted portrayal of the changing perception of Austria both externally and internally.

The fifteen essays cover the life and works of the major authors representing the generation who began their literary careers before Word War II, were driven into exile or into inner emigration during the years of annexation (1938-1945), and attained full prominence in the postwar period.

The purpose of this projected seven-volume series is to help make the major figures of Austrian literature from 1800 to the present accessible to an English-speaking audience. The introductions provide an overview of the cultural and political background of the age to furnish a broader context for the individual contributions. Bibliographies of primary and secondary texts enhance the value of the volumes as reference works. This volume covers the turbulent period between the two world wars. Despite the hardships endured by a country recovering from a severe war, and despite the prominence of politics, literature flourished to a degree that, surprisingly perhaps, makes this era one of the richest periods in Austrian literary history.

Reports and Lectures presented here illustrate contributions that Raoul Auernheimer (born Vienna 1876-died Oakland, California 1948) made in exile to assist the postwar recovery of Austria. The reports on Austrian writers enabled American authorities (OSS -- Office of Strategic Services) to identify those authors who could be relied upon to help with the revival of Austrian literature to its former prominence. Through his long association with the PEN Club in Vienna along with his position as theater commentator and reviewer for the leading Austrian newspaper, the "Neue Freie Presse," Auernheimer was the logical choice for this task. In the many lectures that he delivered in exile Auernheimer aimed to familiarize Americans with Austrians and Austrian literature, life and culture to differentiate them from the Germans and plead for different treatment for his countrymen after the war. He lectured to widely varied audiences at literary groups, universities and churches as well as to Navy Men in San Francisco and Army troups at Monterey preparing for occupation duty in Austria. His advocacy of European unity and globalization to prevent future wars make these texts as relevant today as when they were written.

This correspondence is a firsthand record of a literary and personal friendship that spanned the years 1906 to 1931. It is significant for both its insights into the lives and works of these two important writers and for its information concerning the eventful time in which they lived. The previously unpublished aphorisms of Auernheimer serve as a means of introducing a writer who had long been unjustly neglected. The aphorisms demonstrate the similarities of the two men in their broad range of interests as well as in the depth and perceptiveness of their thought, and help to explain Schnitzler's high regard for his friend.

Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) and Hermann Bahr (1863-1934), two of the leading literary personalities in turn-of-the-century Vienna, maintained a friendship that lasted forty years. These letters contribute to an understanding of the life, times, and writings of both of these important authors and provide another perspective on the Jung-Wien group. The edition also includes Daviau's valuable annotations to the text, as well as brief biographies of figures mentioned in the letters. The introduction includes useful summaries of related texts not available for publication at the time.

This book presents in comprehensive fashion the extraordinary development of Ariadne auf Naxos from its conception to the final operatic version. The unique collaboration of Hofmannsthal and Strauss is examined and the classical myths that served as a basis for the libretto are investigated. The detailed analysis and interpretation of both the text and the music demonstrate that this work is epochal in the history of early nineteenth-century opera and commands central importance in the overall production of its authors.