Eduard Hoffer
Karl Eduard Hoffer, born on 1.10.1876 in Graz, died on 17.8.1955 ibid. son of the grammar school professor and natural scientist Eduard Hoffer ("Hummel-Hoffer") and Marie, née Wanke; attended the k.k. Model and Training School of the Teacher Training College in Graz, then from 1886/87 to 1894 the k.k. State Grammar School from 1886/87 to 1894; first literary attempts, founded a black and yellow pennal association ("Austria"), 1894/95 joined infantry regiment no. 47; studied law and history at the University of Graz, active in the "Corps Joannea", resigned in the course of the Badeni riots, 1899 doctorate, joined the financial service, 1902 first literary publications, from 1903 theater critic of the "Grazer Wochenblatt" and contributor to the magazine "Entwicklung"; 1906 performance of the one-act cycle Ein dummer Bub at the "Theater am Franzensplatz"; 1909 to 1912 at the Ministry of Finance in Vienna, acquaintance with Josef Marx, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Anton Wildgans; 1912 director of the amateur stage "Deutsche Schutzvereinsbühne" in Brunndorf b. Marburg; 1914 to 1916 as a captain in the WKI (incl. Pola and Isonzo), transferred to Graz due to illness, then Franzensbad, released from military service in 1917, returned to the regional finance directorate; retired in 1919, then permanent employee of the "Grazer Volksblatt", 1920 to 1922 also of the "Grazer Montagszeitung", 1921 trip to Germany, married Maria Assmann in 1923, worked for a Swiss newspaper in 1927 and 1931, stories and feuilletons appeared in American newspapers, president of the "Volkskraft" association; 1935 to 1938 theater critic at the "Kleine Zeitung", from the end of 1934 to February 1938 employee at the "Kastner & Öhler-Zeitung"; after the "Anschluss" briefly in prison; from 1939 official at the Reichsstatthalterei, joined the NSDAP, but more monarchist-oriented; awarded the Peter Rosegger Literature Prize (1955).
Publications include: Merlin. A fairy tale (1919), Der blaue General. Ein Buch aus dem alten Österreich (1921), Griechenland. Hamlet. Goethe. Socialities (1922), The Dietrich Play. A dramatic poem (1924), Our Archduke Johann. A portrait of life and manners from ancient times (1934). (from the bio-bibliographical documentation by Gerhard Fuchs)
Estate
Scope: 22 archive boxes, 1 card index box, 2 document rolls
Contents:
Works, correspondence, life documents, collections.
Fragments and notes on plays, [hs. and ts.]; 56 poems (newspaper cuttings, ts.e, manuscripts); "Der blaue General", novel, [hs. and ts.]; "Merlin", piano reduction with text, music by Roderich Mojsisovics, [Dr.]; "Vivat Akademia", 12 songs by Adalbert Buchberger and Eduard Hoffer, [Ts.]; Maria Assmann: "Jorinde und Joringel" [Ts.]; "Zur Erinnerung an Eduard Hoffer sen, [Dr.], 8 editions; 36 stories, novellas, fairy tales, [Dr. and Ts.]; private correspondence (approx. 200 items) and professional correspondence (approx. 60 items); documents, identity cards; newspaper cuttings.
Degree of processing: The fonds have only been roughly indexed for the time being; an overview of the contents is available.
Call number: FNI-HOFFER, Eduard
Acquisition: Donation 1998