Ferdinand Raimund

Ferdinand Raimund (June 1, 1790 – September 5, 1836) was an Austrian actor and dramatist.

Life and work

He was born in Vienna. In 1811, he acted at the Theater in der Josefstadt, and, in 1817 at the Leopoldstädter Theater. In 1823 he produced his first play, "Der Barometermacher auf der Zauberinsel", which was followed by "Der Diamant des Geisterkönigs" (1824) and the still popular "Bauer als Millionär". The last-mentioned play, which appeared in 1826, "Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind" (1828) and "Der Verschwender" (1833) are Raimund's masterpieces. Raimund's comedies are still frequently performed in Austria today.

He committed suicide on 5 September 1836, owing to the fear that he had been bitten by a rabid dog. Raimund was a master of the Viennese Posse or farce; his rich humour is seen to best advantage in his realistic portraits of his fellow-citizens.

Bibliography

"Raimunds Sämtliche Werke" (with biography by J. N. Vogl) appeared in 4 vols. (1837); they have been also edited by K. Glossy and A. Sauer (4 vols., 1881; 2nd ed., 1891), and a selection by E. Castle (1903). See E. Schmidt in "Charakteristiken", vol. I. (1886); A. Farinelli, "Grillparzer und Raimund" (1897); L. A. Frankl, "Zur Biographie F. Raimunds" (1884); and especially A. Sauer's article in the "Allgem. Deutsche Biographie".

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