Rank, Joseph#

Rank, Joseph, b. Hyršov, Czech Republic (then Friedrichsthal), June 10, 1816, d. Vienna, March 27, 1896; short-story writer and journalist. Studied in Vienna and made the acquaintance of N. Lenau; his sketches "Aus dem Boehmerwalde" (1843; 3 vols., 1851) are the first examples of Austrian "village stories". The plots are embedded in popularized landscape descriptions and avoid political and social issues. 1848 member of the parliament in St. Paul´s church in Frankfurt, 1849 member of the Stuttgart rump parliament; after several long stays in Germany R. returned to Vienna in 1861, where he became editor of the "Oesterreichische Zeitung" and secretary to the management of the court opera.

Edition: Selected Works, 7 vols., 1859-1860.

Literature#