Origins & Early Life

Robert Mathias Musil (; Austrian German: [ˈroːbɛrt ˈmuːzɪl]; 6 November 1880 – 15 April 1942) was an Austrian philosophical writer of novels, short stories and plays. His unfinished novel, The Man Without Qualities (German: Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften), is generally considered to be one of the most important and influential modernist novels. Musil published his first novel, The Confusions of Young Törless (German: Die Verwirrungen des Zöglings Törleß), in 1906. Musil was born in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, the son of engineer Alfred Edler Musil (1846, Temeswar/Timișoara – 1924) and his wife Hermine Bergauer (1853, Linz – 1924).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The orientalist Alois Musil ("The Czech Lawrence") was his second cousin. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Komotau/Chomutov in Bohemia, and in 1891 Musil's father was appointed to the chair of Mechanical Engineering at the German Technical University in Brünn/Brno and, later, he was raised to hereditary nobility in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was baptized Robert Mathias and his name was officially Robert Mathias Edler von Musil from 22 October 1917, when his father was ennobled (made Edler), until 3 April 1919, when the use of noble...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Abraham Lincoln — Shared historical date (04-15 · Died) (1865): 16th President of the United States; guided the nation through the Civil War.
• Adolphe Thiers — Shared historical date (04-15 · Born) (1797): Influential French statesman, historian, and President of the Third Republic.
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