Interwar Vienna

Why were the second and third decades of the 20th century chosen? The period from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, economic destruction and political crisis after WWI to the Anschluss to Germany is rich and intense in the history of the Austrian Republic. The Zsolnay publishing company was established in 1924 during the time of the First Republic, with its challenges as a small new state trying to find its way. Moreover, Austria, at the beginning of the 20th century, garners attention for its rich historically conditioned heritage – both linguistically and culturally. Vienna, since the period of the Habsburg monarchy, had attracted the multilingual population of the Empire. According to Wolf, from 1880 to 1900, Vienna’s population grew by 130%. All these factors turned Vienna into a rapidly growing multilingual and multicultural centre. In this period, the international book market was formed (according to Sapiro it happened after the Berne convention for the protection of literary and artistic works was signed in 1886; see also Mus, 20209), and many publishing houses appeared in Austria as well. They searched for their place in the book market, were allowed to autonomously choose what and how to publish; the market dictated the rules, not the government. Publishing activity illustrates the tastes and interests of the readers and can easily influence them through translations as well. Promoting and discovering new authors, the publisher influences the readers and mediates between the author and society.