Jewish writing is a constitutive element of modern Austrian literature. Over the centuries Jews were the most prominent non-Christian population of the Habsburg Empire. Jews comprised approximately 1% of the population, but Jewish writers and authors of Jewish background were at the forefront of cultural criticism and journalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were also pioneers in psychology, science, history, and philosophy, in experimental literary genres such as satire, cabaret, and film, and they excelled in traditional literary forms, prose fiction, drama, poetry, essay, and aphorism. Some of the most acclaimed authors and critics of Jewish descent of the Empire and the first Austrian republic (1919-1938) include Sigmund Freud (1862-1931), Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), Martin…
3966 words
Citation: Lorenz, Dagmar C. G.. "Austrian-Jewish Literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1468, accessed 21 November 2024.]
