Robert Musil is not normally thought of as an author with a great affinity for the drama; he is mainly remembered for his narrative works, notably the monumental novel fragment Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften (1930-1943; translated as The Man without Qualities , 1955). He had only two full-length plays published, as well as a large-scale dramatic fragment. Musil's diaries and notebooks indicate, however, that over the span of about twenty-five years he worked on some ten or twelve dramatic projects, ranging from sketchy scenarios to extensive dialogue drafts. A collection of Musil's reviews and theoretical essays on drama published in 1965 reveals his persistent interest in drama as an art form. Moreover, it can be argued that it is in drama that the shift from the psychological introspection of Musil's earlier writings to the more detached satirical tone of the novel takes place.

Musil was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, on 6 November...