BAHR, HERMANN

(1863-1934)

Playwright, critic. Bahr is best known as the author of light comedies, but he was initially a champion ofNaturalism; he later condemned it, however, in favor of a modernism associated with nationalism. As a freelance essayist inViennafrom 1892 to 1906, Bahr wrote extensively about plays he thought should be produced and what kind of actors should appear in them; few managers paid him any regard, so he left Vienna forBerlinin 1906 to work forMax Reinhardt, working as adramaturgand publicity agent. Bahr's first playwriting success came in 1909 with the premiere ofDas Konzert(The Concert), a conventional situation comedy that proved to be both enormously popular and commercially lucrative. Bahr's other plays were far less successful, but nevertheless provided important glimpses into the world of both the Austrian and German theater. His best plays, besidesThe Concert, wereJosephine(1898),Der Franzi(Little Franz, 1900),Der Meister(The Master, 1904),Sanna(1905),Die Andere(The Other, 1906),Der arme Narr(The Poor Fool, 1907), andDer Faun(The Fawn, 1907). His collected works total 120 volumes, including 40 plays, 10 novels, 5 collections of novellas, 9 published volumes of diaries, 8 volumes of theater criticism, and 48 compilations of essays.