Stifter, Adalbert

Stifter, Adalbert (1805-1868), Austrian novelist and story writer. Stifter was born in Oberplan in Bohemia (now Horni Planá, Czech Republic) on October 23, 1805. He studied at the universities of Jura and Vienna between 1826 and 1830 and then worked as a private tutor, but his main interest was in painting landscapes and in writing his Studien (1844-1850; Studies), six novellas which celebrate the traditional way of life of Bohemian peasants.

During the revolution of 1848-1849 Stifter was elected to the Frankfurt assembly which tried, but failed, to create a liberal German federation including Austria. From 1851 onwards he lived in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, working as a schools inspector, and, from 1853, the konservator in charge of protecting works of art and monuments. He also wrote a volume of short stories, Bunte Steine (Coloured Stones, 1853); the novel Der Nachsommer (1857; Indian Summer); and Witiko (1865-1867), a historical novel and reconstruction of ancient German society. After the death of his foster daughter in 1859 he became increasingly depressive and tried to commit suicide two days before his death, from a liver infection, in Linz on January 28, 1868. His attempts to combine respect for tradition with commitment to Enlightenment values were to influence later Austrian writers following the revival of his reputation after World War I.