Franz Grillparzer was born in
Vienna,
Austria. His father, the unsuccessful lawyer E. J. Grillparzer, whose fortunes were ruined by
Napoleon's invasion, was a severe pedant and a staunch upholder of the
liberal traditions of the reign of
Joseph II. His mother, Anna Franziska, was a nervous, highly-strung woman, daughter of
Christoph Sonnleithner, sister to
Joseph and
Ignaz, aunt to
Leopold. Franz's father wished him to become a lawyer, and he entered the
University of Vienna in 1807 as a student of
jurisprudence. Two years later his father died, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. After obtaining his degree from the university in 1811, Franz became a private tutor for a noble family; then in 1813, he entered the civil service as a clerk at the Imperial
Hofkammer (
Exchequer) in Austria. In 1821, he unsuccessfully applied to the position of
scribe at the Imperial Library, and later that same year, he was relocated to the Ministry of Finance. In 1832, he became
director of the archives at the Imperial
Hofkammer, a position he held until his retirement in 1856. Grillparzer had little capacity for an official career and regarded his position merely as a means of independence. From early youth, Grillparzer displayed a strong literary impulse. He devoted especial attention to the Spanish drama, and many of his works show the influence of
Pedro Calderón de la Barca. In 1853, he wrote an autobiography of his life and times from birth to 1836. Among his posthumous writings are many fragments of literary, philosophic, and political criticism, all of them indicating a strong and independent spirit, not invariably just, but distinct, penetrating, and suggestive. It is characteristic of him that he expresses extreme dislike of
Hegel's philosophy on the ground that its terms are unintelligible. On the other hand, he gives evidence of careful and sympathetic study of
Immanuel Kant. Of modern literary critics,
Gervinus was most repugnant to him, mainly because of the tendency of this writer to attribute moral aims to authors who created solely for art's sake. He rather maliciously says that Gervinus had one advantage and one disadvantage in writing his history of
German literature – the advantage of common sense, the disadvantage of knowing nothing of his subject. Of a quiet contemplative nature, Grillparzer shunned general society. He never married. He could seem cold and distant to strangers, but in conversation with people he liked, his real disposition revealed itself; his manner became animated, his eyes brightened, and a sarcastic but not ill-natured smile would play upon his lips. He often said that the art of writing poetry can neither be taught nor learned, but he also held that inspiration will not visit a poet who neglects to make himself master of his subject. Hence before writing a play he worked hard, striving to comprehend the spirit of the age he wished to represent. He was exceedingly fond of travel, and at different times visited all the leading European countries. After 1840, when his only comedy was rejected by the public, he almost passed from the memory of his contemporaries. Fortunately for him, his admirer
Heinrich Laube became artistic director of Vienna's court theater in 1849. Laube staged productions of Grillparzer's forgotten works, and their success was immediate and profound. To his own surprise, Grillparzer became the most popular author of the day; he was ranked with
Goethe and
Schiller, and lauded as the national poet of Austria. On his eightieth birthday, all classes from the court downwards united to do him honour; never, probably, did Vienna exert herself so much to prove her respect for a private citizen. He was buried in 1872 with an amount of ceremony that surpassed even the pomp displayed at the funeral of poet
Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock in 1803. He was originally buried in the Währinger Cemetery in Vienna, now known as Schubertpark. He now lies at
Hietzing Cemetery. ==Early works up to
Das goldene Vlies==