author
Heinrich Joseph von Collin
1772–1811
A Viennese playwright and poet of the Napoleonic era, he became known for serious historical drama and for patriotic verse that stirred Austrian feeling in a time of war. His name is also closely linked to Beethoven, who wrote the famous "Coriolan" Overture for one of his plays.
1 Audiobook
Balboa: Ein Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen
by Heinrich Joseph von Collin
About the author
Born in Vienna on December 26, 1771, he studied law and then entered Austrian state service, rising in the finance administration and later serving on important political missions during the wars against Napoleon. In 1803, he and his family were ennobled, which is why he is known as "von Collin."
As a writer, he helped shape early 19th-century Austrian drama with works that drew on classical and historical subjects. His tragedy Coriolan became especially well known because Beethoven composed the Coriolan Overture in connection with it, and his patriotic poems, including songs written during Austria's struggle against Napoleon, brought him wide attention.
He died in Vienna on July 28, 1811. Though his life was short, he left a clear mark on Austrian literary culture as a dramatist, poet, and public-minded writer whose work reflected the political tensions of his age.