Marie von Ebner Eschenbach

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916), born Marie Dubský at Zdislawitz Castle in Moravia, was an Austrian writer. She wrote dramas, novels, short stories, and aphorisms. Her best-known works include “Lotti, die Uhrmacherin,” “Das Gemeindekind,” “Unsühnbar,” and the novella “Krambambuli.” Her literary breakthrough came in 1883 with “Dorf- und Schlossgeschichten.” Her psychologically perceptive and socially critical writing is regarded as an important part of Austrian and German-language literature. Born into an aristocratic family, she also trained as a watchmaker, an unusual career for a woman of her time. In 1900, she became the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Vienna.