Milch, Werner J.

Werner J. Milch (1903-1950) wrote books on German history and literature, and published biographies of the German poet Daniel von Czepko and the pedagogue Christoph Kaufmann.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1929), poet, dramatist and essayist, was born in Vienna on 1 February 1874. He entered the Wiener Akademisches Gymnasium in 1884, and joined Vienna University in 1892, where he studied law before switching to Romance philology. During these years, von Hofmannsthal achieved fame through his poems and lyric drama. After completing his studies, he devoted himself to writing, completing plays and essays, and writing librettos for Richard Strauss, including Elektra and Ariadne auf Naxos . During the First World War, von Hofmannsthal served in the Austrian army and worked in the War Ministry. After the war, he and Max Reinhardt founded the Salzburg Festival, where his plays, including Der Turm and his adaptation of Everyman, were subsequently performed. Von Hofmannsthal died at Rodaun, Austria, on 15 July 1929.