Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach continued the short narrative prose tradition of such writers as Gottfried Keller, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, and Theodor Storm. She is regarded as Austria's greatest nineteenth-century woman writer; her stories and aphorisms have been included in many anthologies and textbooks. But she was generally viewed merely as an aristocrat who afforded readers an impressive and vivid picture of Austrian society before the collapse of the multinational empire. She was considered the gentle advocate of the downtrodden, representing kindness and humanity but incapable of depicting passionate feelings in her works. Her intellectual insights were either overlooked or underestimated. A reevaluation has now begun. A critical edition of her writings is under way, and her work is currently assessed as being much more original and modern both in content and form than had been recognized previously.

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach was born Baroness Dubsky on 13 September 1830 at Zdislawitz Castle...