Discovery: Auden's mysterious letters reveal Austria's queer history!

Discovery: Auden's mysterious letters reveal Austria's queer history!

The literary world is always full of surprises, and a remarkable discovery was recently made involving the British-American poet W. H. Auden. In 2023, a previously unknown version of his wedding poem “Epithalamium” and an extensive correspondence between Auden and his Austrian confidant, Hugo, were found. This correspondence includes around 100 letters and postcards and reveals a close, respectful relationship between the two, offering not only literary-historical but also socio-historical insights into Austria's queer history. [sn.at].

The correspondence is being scientifically documented at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The literary historian Sandra Mayer and Timo Frühwirth are researching the letters as part of the FWF-funded project “Auden in Austria Digital”. Dr. Andreas Brunner from the “QWIEN – Center for Queer History” supports the research work that seeks to make Auden’s work visible in Austria. This step is necessary because while Auden made waves in the USA and Great Britain, he was treated with secrecy here for a long time.

Auden and Austria

W. H. Auden spent six months a year in Kirchstetten in Lower Austria from 1958 to 1973. This time was extremely fruitful for him creatively, as he created the majority of his late work there. wienbibliothek.at describes the project “Auden in Austria Digital” as a digital edition that aims to make unpublished literary papers, correspondence and life documents available.

Another interesting aspect of the project is the focus on previously unexplored areas of Austrian post-war history, particularly with regard to queer actors in the literary scene of the 1960s and 1970s. The correspondence could illuminate not only Auden's own story, but also that of others who were otherwise in the shadows.

A look into the future

The digital processing is intended to create an alternative biographical topography of Auden's creative period in Austria. This could prove to be a valuable resource for international Auden research. oeaw.ac.at highlights the importance of the four main objectives of the project, including the collection of unpublished literary documents and the development of new biographical information.

Overall, the rediscovery of this correspondence and the comprehensive digital edition represents an exciting opportunity to honor W. H. Auden not only as a great poet, but also as a part of Austrian literary history. The project promises to deepen the understanding of his literary work and his social networks in Austria - and perhaps even stimulate new dialogue that is aware of actors and history.