author
Elisabeth Dauthendey
1854–1943
A German writer remembered for atmospheric fairy tales, novellas, and fiction that moved between realism and a more mystical imagination. She also wrote strikingly about women, marriage, and independence at a time when those subjects were fiercely debated.
1 Audiobook
Von den Gärten der Erde: Ein Buch der tiefen Stille
by Elisabeth Dauthendey
About the author
Born in St. Petersburg in 1854 and later active in Würzburg, Elisabeth Dauthendey built a literary career that gained notice above all through her fairy tales and novellas. Reference works and biographical sources consistently describe her as a German writer, and several note that she came to her own literary work relatively late, publishing fiction, essays, and shorter prose that found a readership in the German-speaking world.
Her writing is often associated with a mythical or mystical tone, especially in the tales and novellas for which she is best known. At the same time, she did not limit herself to fantasy-inflected storytelling: sources also point to her essays and novels on questions of women, love, and marriage, including Vom neuen Weibe und seiner Liebe from 1900, which shows her engagement with debates about women's lives and social roles.
Dauthendey died in Würzburg in 1943. Today she is remembered as part of a wider literary culture around turn-of-the-century Germany, with work that ranges from imaginative storytelling to thoughtful, sometimes bold commentary on the expectations placed on women.