Portal:Austria/Selected biography/29

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1873)

Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (September 13, 1830 - March 12, 1916) was a writer. Noted for her excellent psychological novels, she is regarded—together with Ferdinand von Saar—as one of the most important German-language writers of the latter portion of the 19th century.

After 1880 she had her story Lotti die Uhrmacherin (Lotte the Watchmaker) published. In 1887 her novel Das Gemeindekind, became one of great importance in literature.

All her life she fought against the "normal" thoughts of their time. She did not write to make a living, but out of conviction and inspiration. Her intention was to convey moral behaviour and humanism.

Starting in 1890 did she find her own dramatic style of writing. Her 1888 work Ohne Liebe (Without Love) and 1895 Am Ende (In the end) achieved great success. In 1898 she was awarded the highest Austrian civilian medal, the Honorary Cross for Art and Literature. In 1900 she became the first female honorary doctor of the University of Vienna.

After 1899 she made several trips to Italy and in 1906 published her memoir. She is credited with the famous aphorism "even a stopped clock is right twice a day."