Vienna: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:59, 22 July 2025

Mark Twain, accompanied by his wife Olivia and his daughters Jean and Clara, stayed in Vienna from 27th September 1897 until 26th May 1899.

Book Announcement

This book announcement was a joke made by Mark Twain during his last week in Vienna and everybody believed it. In an interview with Dr. Johannes Horowitz, correspondent for the New York Times, Mark Twain further expanded on his joke by explaining that his book would not be published until 100 years after his death, because then he would not have to bear the consequences of offending anyone (Scharnhorst, The Complete Interviews). The Viennese people were very concerned, fearing what the usually very outspoken Mark Twain had to say about them. A few days later, Mark Twain felt obligated to clarify his joke through his friend the journalist Eduard Pötzl (see "Mark Twain über den Weltfrieden," Neues Wiener Tageblatt, 27 May 1899). The reason for this joke, as Carl Dolmetsch concludes, was to draw attention to his actual works written during his time in Vienna (311).

Hotel Krantz

File:1898-10-16-MT-Hotel-Krantz-Vienna-arrival.png

On October 16, 1898, the Austrian daily newspaper Neue Freie Presse reported that Mark Twain arrived at the Hotel Krantz from Kaltleutgeben with the intention of spending the winter in Vienna. Although the hotel had opened only a few months before Mark Twain's arrival, it had already earned a good reputation. It was described as comfortable and known for serving good food and drinks. This reputation was also reflected in the guest book, which listed such illustrious names as His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Bavaria and the Duke of Oldenburg, Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden, Hereditary Prince of Hohenzollern, Prince Albert of Belgium, Duke Günther of Schleswig-Holstein ("Hotel Krantz," Neue Freie Presse, Oct 16, 1898: 4:2-3).

In letters to Henry H. Rogers, Clemens reports that the new hotel had offered him a stay because the owner saw his presence as "the best advertisement they could have" (Leary 360). This put the writer in a position to successfully negotiate a lower monthly rate, leading him to ultimately decide to stay at the hotel which he called a "palace" (Leary 355), "completely and richly furnished like the Waldorf." The suite he and his family occupied included "a dining room, a parlor, a music room, a study, and 4 bedrooms — with bathrooms attached to 3 of the bedrooms" (Leary 360). Months before Clemens and his family moved into the hotel, the owner had displayed in the lobby "the finest portrait" of him that his wife had ever seen. "We don't know who made it nor when, but we recognize that it is a hotel that has taste," Clemens joked (Leary 356). Apparently, Clemens got along well with the owners, because when Joseph and Marianne Krantz celebrated their silver wedding anniversary at the hotel, Sam, Olivia, and their daughters attended. The Neue Freie Presse reported that "der illustre Schriftsteller" ("the illustrious writer") joined the celebration and offered words of congratulation to the couple ("Mark Twain als Gratulant," NFP, Nov 15, 1898, 6:2). For more information on the Hotel Krantz, see Dolmetsch 241-243.

In June 1945, the luxury hotel was renamed "Hotel Ambassador". More information about the history of the hotel is provided on the hotel's website.

Visit to Parliament

Shortly after arriving in Vienna, Mark Twain started to take an interest in local politics. On 28th October 1897, he attended a sitting of the Austro-Hungarian parliament for the first time (Dolmetsch 72). He describes it in great detail in his essay "Stirring Times in Austria", first published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine in March 1898 and later republished in the collection How To Tell a Story. Twain writes that the event was constantly disrupted by heckling of the politicians. Curses and threats were made against the speaker and everybody had wooden planks that were banged on the desks to make loud noises. Many sittings of the parliament went like this, making actual debates almost impossible.

Article Pages

linked to Vienna (31)

IA-017 • [MT uses public transport in Vienna] • 29 Nov 1898
IL-060 • [MT has gout] • 6 Oct 1897
IL-061 • [MT arrived in Vienna] • 20 Oct 1897
IL-062 • Radfahr-Notizen • 4 Nov 1897
IL-064 • Mark Twain über die deutsche Sprache • 22 Nov 1897
IL-069 • Mark Twain über Cecil Rhodes • 20 Apr 1898
IL-070 • [MT translating plays from German] • 21 Apr 1898
IL-080 • Der Abschied des Botschafters Charlemagne Tower von Wien • 24 Mar 1899
IL-083 • Mark Twain beim Kaiser • 24 May 1899
IL-086 • [MT meets Emperor Franz Josef] • 9 Jun 1899
IL-090 • [MT meets Emperor Franz Josef] • 14 Jun 1899
IL-100 • Wiener Brief • 22 Nov 1899
MD-161 • [MT plans to spend winter in Vienna] • 22 Jul 1897
MD-163 • Das Zipperlein, oder das Zahnweh in der Zehe • 4 Oct 1897
MD-165 • Mark Twain in Wien geehrt • 2 Nov 1897
MD-176 • [MT translating plays from German] • 22 Apr 1898
MD-191 • Mark Twain's Standrede für Uncle Sam • 26 Mar 1899
MD-195 • Mark Twain's Erfahrungen in Wien • 22 May 1899
MO-006 • [MT arrives in Vienna] • 22 Oct 1897
NE-011 • [MT and family arrive in Vienna] • 22 Oct 1897
NE-014 • Wollen Sie am Geldbeutel angreifen • 2 Dec 1897
NE-016 • Mark Twain in Wien • 14 Jan 1898
NE-021 • Die Appetitkur • 13 Jan 1899
NE-023 • Sein erstes deutsches Wort • 4 May 1899
NE-027 • [MT’s travel plans] • 16 Jun 1899
SD-015 • Trauriges Schauspiel • 11 Nov 1897
TX-027 • Mark Twain in Wien • 19 Nov 1897
TX-028 • Mark Twain in Wien • 20 Jan 1898
TX-030 • Die Appetitkur • 16 Nov 1898
TX-034 • Mark Twains Rückreise nach der Heimath • 12 Jun 1899
WI-002 • [MT as candidate for presidency] • 18 May 1900

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 [[File:Austrian_parliament_harpers_1897.jpg|thumb|right|350px|{{File:Austrian_parliament_harpers_1897.jpg}}]]
-Shortly after arriving in Vienna, Mark Twain started to take an interest in local politics. On 28th October 1897, he attended a sitting of the Austro-Hungarian parliament for the first time. He describes it in great detail in his essay "Stirring Times in Austria", first published in ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'' in March 1898 and later republished in the collection ''How To Tell a Story''. Twain writes that the event was constantly disrupted by heckling of the politicians. Curses and threats were made against the speaker and everybody had wooden planks that were banged on the desks to make loud noises. Many sittings of the parliament went like this, making actual debates almost impossible.
+Shortly after arriving in Vienna, Mark Twain started to take an interest in local politics. On 28th October 1897, he attended a sitting of the Austro-Hungarian parliament for the first time (Dolmetsch 72). He describes it in great detail in his essay "Stirring Times in Austria", first published in ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'' in March 1898 and later republished in the collection ''How To Tell a Story''. Twain writes that the event was constantly disrupted by heckling of the politicians. Curses and threats were made against the speaker and everybody had wooden planks that were banged on the desks to make loud noises. Many sittings of the parliament went like this, making actual debates almost impossible.
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