Stifter, Adalbert (1805 - 1868)

“There are things”, Adalbert Stifter once said, “that everyone can easily have; all you have to do is bend down to pick them up”. Unrecognized during his lifetime, the poet often bent down for the inconspicuous and precious things of everyday life and turned them into narratives which are highly regarded today for their almost classical purity.

Adalbert Stifter was born as the son of a linen weaver on 23 October 1805 in the south Bohemian town of Oberplan (now Horní Planá, Czech Republic). It is this rough and bizarre landscape of the Bohemian Forest that greatly influenced the works of the author and painter. When Stifter was 12 years old his father died and the family ran into financial difficulties. Thanks to his grandfathers help Stifter received high school education and later enrolled at the University of Vienna to study law but never graduated.

During his studies Stifter discovered his passion for literature and painting. After unsuccessfully applying for posts as teacher he started to work as a private tutor. At one point he even taught the son of Chancellor Metternich (1843-46). Stifter published in magazines and painted – among other things – Vienna city views but was not recognized as poet before 1840. In the following years he worked on a series of narratives which he titled “studies”. The most famous of these narratives is "Hochwald" (1842).

In 1848 Stifter moved to Linz / Upper Austria where he worked as school inspector. Among his most popular works are Bunte Steine (1853), Nachsommer (1857), Witiko (1864-1867), and Briefe, which appeared posthumously in 1869.

Adalbert Stifter died on 28 January 1868 in Linz where is buried.

Adalbert Stifter

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