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Raimund, Ferdinand (1790-1836)
Copyright:IMAGNO/Austrian Archives
"People are often arguing / about the price of happiness. / One calls the other stupid, / and in the end nobody knows anything." Raimund was a master of the Viennese burlesque; his sense of humor was most evident in his realistic portrayals of his fellow-citizens. Ferdinand Raimund was born to a wood turner on 1 June 1790 in Vienna. He lost his parents when still young: his father died in 1802, his mother two years later. After being orphaned, Raimund started an apprenticeship as confectioner and in the evenings sold sweets at the Burgtheater.
At the age of 19 Ferdinand Raimund embarks on a career as actor. Before being employed at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1814, Raimund joined different theater troupes with whom he traveled through Hungary. In 1817 he changed to Theater in der Leopoldstadt, back than Vienna’s most authentic folk theater, which he headed for some years. Raimund was a captivating actor, famous for his burlesques and comedies even though he himself would have preferred to star in tragedies. Raimund wrote eight plays in total including "Das Mädchen aus der Feenwelt oder Der Bauer als Millionär" (The Girl from Fairyland or the Peasant Millionaire; 1826), "Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind" (The King of the Alps and the Misanthrop; 1828) and "Der Verschwender" (The Spendthrift; 1834). Raimund’s plays entertain with humor, magical elements, and the good triumphing over the evil. His plays are very popular in Austria and performed on a regular basis.
Raimund’s private life was marked by turbulent love affairs and his susceptibility to hypochondria. An episode with the actress Therese Grünthal, for instance, ended with a fight in the auditorium of Theater in der Josefstadt and Raimund’s arrest. His marriage with Luise Gleich lasted only one and a half years. Raimund’s only happy relationship was with Antonia Wagner, his “lifelong fiancée".
In 1834, Raimund bought a country house in the Lower Austrian town of Gutenstein where he was bitten by a dog. Convinced he had contracted rabies, Ferdinand Raimund shot himself in Pottenstein on 5 September 1836.
Ferdinand Raimund Society
At the age of 19 Ferdinand Raimund embarks on a career as actor. Before being employed at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1814, Raimund joined different theater troupes with whom he traveled through Hungary. In 1817 he changed to Theater in der Leopoldstadt, back than Vienna’s most authentic folk theater, which he headed for some years. Raimund was a captivating actor, famous for his burlesques and comedies even though he himself would have preferred to star in tragedies. Raimund wrote eight plays in total including "Das Mädchen aus der Feenwelt oder Der Bauer als Millionär" (The Girl from Fairyland or the Peasant Millionaire; 1826), "Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind" (The King of the Alps and the Misanthrop; 1828) and "Der Verschwender" (The Spendthrift; 1834). Raimund’s plays entertain with humor, magical elements, and the good triumphing over the evil. His plays are very popular in Austria and performed on a regular basis.
Raimund’s private life was marked by turbulent love affairs and his susceptibility to hypochondria. An episode with the actress Therese Grünthal, for instance, ended with a fight in the auditorium of Theater in der Josefstadt and Raimund’s arrest. His marriage with Luise Gleich lasted only one and a half years. Raimund’s only happy relationship was with Antonia Wagner, his “lifelong fiancée".
In 1834, Raimund bought a country house in the Lower Austrian town of Gutenstein where he was bitten by a dog. Convinced he had contracted rabies, Ferdinand Raimund shot himself in Pottenstein on 5 September 1836.
Ferdinand Raimund Society
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