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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Ger 147-148.15

Hugo von Hofmannsthal papers

Overview

Unpublished compositions by the Austrian poet and dramatist Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Dates

  • Creation: 1890-1929

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in German.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Extent

7 linear feet (14 boxes)

Contains von Hofmannsthal's handwritten manuscript drafts and notes for unpublished poetry, dramas, lectures, prose narratives and essays, together with his diaries and journal notebooks from age 15 until his death. Papers document different stages of the conception and execution of his work, and contain reading notes, preliminary notations for written works, early drafts, and working papers. Papers are in German.

Biographical / Historical

Hofmannsthal was an Austrian poet, dramatist, and essayist. He is best known for his opera librettos and is considered master of German lyric poetry.

Arrangement

Arranged into the following Series: MS Ger 147.4 Poetry; MS Ger 147.5 Theater; MS Ger 147.6 Prose narratives; MS Ger 147.7 Essays, fictitious letters, dialogs, etc.; MS Ger 147.8 Notes arranged topically; MS Ger 147.9 Notes arranged chronologically; MS Ger 147.10 Journal notebooks; and MS Ger 147.11 Empty folders. Skipped numbers were formerly used for series containing papers removed by the family.

Other Finding Aids

The original typed and bound finding aid for the collection prior to the withdrawal of materials by the family is available on-site. A digital version from 2022 prior to the editing of the finding aid is also available upon request.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Hofmannsthal family; received: 1945.

Existence and Location of Copies

Microfilm of the papers removed by the family in 1964 is available on-site at Houghton Library.

Separated Materials



The finding aid previously included all papers donated to or on deposit with Houghton Library. The papers on deposit were removed by members of Hugo von Hoffmannsthal's family in 1964, including all papers previously processed as MS Ger 147-147.3, all materials in MS Ger 147.12-147.16, and all materials in MS Ger 148-148.15 . MS Some materials from the rest of the series were also removed. An online version of the previous finding aid with the original contents of the collection prior to 1964 is available by request of Houghton Library staff. Microfilm of the removed materials is also available on-site for viewing.

The manuscripts and the Nachlass of Hugo von Hofmannsthal were given to Houghton Library by the poet's heirs, and other papers were at the same time deposited. In 1964 the manuscripts (that is, of published works as opposed to Nachlass manuscripts of unpublished works) were withdrawn by the family. The material removed from Houghton was, in part, given to the Schiller-Nationalmuseums und Deutschen Literaturarchivs in Marbach, Germany; and in part sold in a series of sales at Sotheby's.

Bibliography

For additional information see: Herbert Steiner, "The Harvard collection of Hugo von Hofmannsthal," Harvard Library Bulletin, 8 (1954), 54-64. E.M. Weber, "Die Hofmannsthal Sammlung im Besitz der Harvard Universität," Hoffmannsthal Blätter, Heft 2 (Fuühjahr 1969), 91-96. E.M. Weber, "A chronology of Hofmannsthal's poems," Euphorion, 63 (1969), 284-328.
  • Herbert Steiner, "The Harvard collection of Hugo von Hofmannsthal," Harvard Library Bulletin, 8 (1954), 54-64.
  • E.M. Weber, "Die Hofmannsthal Sammlung im Besitz der Harvard Universität," Hoffmannsthal Blätter, Heft 2 (Fuühjahr 1969), 91-96.
  • E.M. Weber, "A chronology of Hofmannsthal's poems," Euphorion, 63 (1969), 284-328.

Processing Information

This finding aid was re-worked by Betts Coup in 2022 to remove description of all materials removed by the von Hoffmannsthal family in 1964 to avoid confusion. The original finding aid is available electronically via request. Eugene Weber wrote all the original content for the papers, including those removed.

Title
Hofmannsthal, Hugo von, 1874-1929. Hugo von Hofmannsthal papers: Guide.
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
hou00286

Repository Details

Part of the Houghton Library Repository

Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.

Contact:
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