Beginning in 1914, when he received the Bauernfeld Prize for the novella Barbara Naderers Viehstand (Barbara Naderer's Livestock, 1914), Max Mell was repeatedly recognized for his contributions to Austrian literature and culture. His awards included the Vienna Literary Prize in 1927, the Grillparzer Prize in 1928 and 1940, the Mozart Prize of the Weimar Goethe Society in 1937, the Austrian State Prize in 1954, and the Austrian Medal of Honor for Science and Art in 1960. The essence of the works for which he was so widely acclaimed lies in their unpretentious yet powerful mediation, presentation, and promotion of things Austrian, extending from the cultural heritage of Vienna to modern rural existence, and in their strong affirmation of the Christian spiritual values he had encountered in his childhood home. Throughout his life Mell devoted himself to the creation of literary art that had the power to encourage, help, comfort, and uplift his fellow human beings.

Born...