German literature

The Austrian doctor, playwright and novelist Schnitzler was born in Vienna, where he studied Medicine and practiced professionally until 1894, when he began dedicating time to writing. Schnitzler is one of the creators of the Young Vienna group (1891), together with Austrian poet and playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal and other writers.

Schnitzler writings frequently surprise the reader due to their deep and merciless analysis of human motivation, and are centered around themes such as personal relationships, the complexities of erotic life and fear of death. He explored the problems of relationships between men and women in plays such as Anatol (1893) and The Round Dance (1897, which was taken to the movies bearing the title La Ronde, in 1950), in which he condemns the sensual and romantic life of his birth city, Vienna.

His most important writing is probably The Road to the Open (1908), which reflects the anti semitism that prevailed at the time, a central theme in his tragedy Professor Bernhardi (1912). With time, Schnitzler began obsessing over his fear of old age and death, as is evident from his novels Beatrice's Veil (1913) and Casanova's Homecoming (1918).

Schnitzler was friends with Sigmund Freud, with whom he shared many points of view on medicine and psychology. Other writings by Schnitzler worthy of being mentioned include The Green Cockatoo (1899), Lieutenant Gustl (1901), Miss Else (1924) and A Dream Novel (1925).