Franz Karl Ginzkey was an austro-Hungarian (then Austrian

Austrians

Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....

) officer

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

, poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and writer. His arguably most famous book Hatschi Bratschis Luftballon (Hatschi Bratschis balloon) captivated generations of children.

Life

Franz Karl Ginzkey, son of a Bohemian German professional officer of the Austrian Navy, was in the imperial army until 1897. During that period he was intermittently also commander of the as barracks used (Rainer-infantry regiment) Fortress Hohensalzburg. From 1897 to 1914 he worked as a cartographer at the Militärgeographischen Institute (Militarygeographic institute) in Vienna, afterwards in the war archive. Since 1920, he was a retired military member and then worked as a freelance writer. At the time of the Austro-Fascism, he was (for the professional group of artists) from 1934 to 1938 Member of the Council of State and after 1938 came to terms with the leaders of National Socialism. He was friends with Max Mell and Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.- Biography :...

, and furthermore with Faistauer Anton and Carl Zuckmayer

Carl Zuckmayer

Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...

. Moreover, Ginzkey participated in the founding of the Salzburg Festival

Salzburg Festival

The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

 and for decades was a member of its board of trustees. Since 1944 he lived in Seewalchen at Lake Attersee.

After the end of war Ginzkeys Die Front in Tirol (The front in Tyrol) (Fischer

S. Fischer Verlag

The German publishing house S. Fischer Verlag was founded in 1886 by Samuel Fischer in Berlin and is a leading German address for literary publications and fiction.Originally, it was renowned for naturalism literature...

, Berlin, 1916) was blacklisted in the Soviet zone of occupation. [1]

On his 100th birthday a Franz-Karl-Ginzkey monument was erected in Seewalchen at Lake Attersee.

He rests in a grave of honor at the Vienna Central Cemetery (Group 32 C, Number 25).

Ginzkey is numbered among the circle of newromantic poets and novelists. One of his literary discoverers was Peter Rosegger

Peter Rosegger

Peter Rosegger was an Austrian poet from the province of Styria. He was a son of a farmer and grew up in the forests and fields. Rosegger went on to become a most productive poet and author as well as an insightful teacher and visionary...

. A part of his work shows great connection to Salzburg. This witness the following works:

* Wie ich Herr auf Hohensalzburg ward When I was master at Hohensalzburg
* Altsalzburger Bilder nach 10 Federzeichnungen (gemeinsam mit Ulf Seidl )
Altsalzburger images after 10 pen drawings (together with Ulf Seidl)
* Jakobus und die Frauen (1908) Jacob and the Women
* Der seltsame Soldat (1925) The strange soldier
* Der Heimatsucher (1948) The home searcher
* Das Antlitz Salzburgs (1933) The face of Salzburg
* Salzburg und das Salzkammergut (1934) Salzburg and the Salzkammergut
* Prinz Tunora (1934) Prince Tunora
* Salzburg, sein Volk und seine Trachten (1934) Salzburg, its people and its costumes

In 1968 the square between Alpenstraße (Alpine street) and Adolf-Schemel-Straße (Adolf-Schemel street) in the Salzburg district of Salzburg-Süd (Salzburg-South) (Alpinsiedlung) was named in his honor Ginzkeyplatz.

Literary works (a selection)

• Hatschi Bratschis Luftballon, 1904
• Der von der Vogelweide, 1912
• Der Wiesenzaun. Erzählung, 1913
• Aus der Werkstatt des Lyrikers. Vortrag, 1913
• Den Herren Feinden! Ein Trutz- und Mahnlied, 1914
• Die Front in Tirol, 1916
• Der Gaukler von Bologna, Roman, 1916
• Befreite Stunde. Neue Gedichte, 1917
• Der Doppelspiegel. Betrachtungen und Erzählungen, 1920
• Rositta, 1921
• Der Prinz von Capestrano, 1921
• Von wunderlichen Wegen. 7 Erzählungen, 1922
• Brigitte und Regine, Novelle, 1923
• Die Reise nach Komakuku. Geschichten aus seltsamer Jugend, 1923
• Der Weg zu Oswalda. Erählung, 1924
• Der seltsame Soldat, 1925
• Der Kater Ypsilon. Novellen, 1926
• Der Gott und die Schauspielerin, 1928
• Florians wundersame Reise über die Tapete, 1931
• Drei Frauen. Rosita - Agnete - Oswalda, 1931
• Gespenster auf Hirschberg. Aus der hinterlassenen Handschrift des Majors von Baltram, 1931
• Das verlorene Herz. Ein Märchenspiel, 1931
• Magie des Schicksals. Novelle, 1932
• Das Antlitz Salzburgs, 1933
• Prinz Tunora, Roman, 1934
• Salzburg und das Salzkammergut, 1934
• Salzburg, sein Volk und seine Trachten, 1934
• Liselotte und ihr Ritter oder Warum nicht Romantik?, Roman, 1936
• Sternengast. Neue Gedichte, 1937
• Der selige Brunnen. Eine Raphael Donner-Novelle, 1940
• Meistererzählungen, 1940
• Erschaffung der Eva. Ein epischer Gesang, 1941
• Zeit und Menschen meiner Jugend, 1942
• Taniwani. Ein fröhliches Fischbuch, 1947
• Der Heimatsucher. Ein Leben und eine Sehnsucht, 1948
• Genius Mozart, 1949
• Die Geschichte einer stillen Frau, Roman, 1951
• Der Träumerhansl, 1952
• Altwiener Balladen, 1955
• Der Tanz auf einem Bein. Ein Seitensprung ins Wunderliche, 1956
• Franz Karl Ginzkey. Ausgewählte Werke in vier Bänden, 1960

External links

(all in German)

• Kurzbiografie zu Franz Karl Ginzkey
• Franz Karl Ginzkey In: Projekt Historischer Roman. Datenbank. Universität Innsbruck.
• Nachlass von Franz Karl Ginzkey in der Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek
• Franz-Karl-Ginzkey-Denkmal in Seewalchen am Attersee