Bauernfeld, Eduard von

(1802-1890)

   Playwright. Bauernfeld was a Viennese lawyer who, like Franz Grillparzer, was a state civil servant. He began writing comedies of manners based on his experiences as a man-about-town in the late 1820s, and Joseph Schreyvogel premiered many of them at the Burgtheater. His most successful of these was Bürgerlich und Romantisch (Bourgeois and Romantic), which the Burg premiered in 1835. Bauernfeld wrote several other comedies until his forced retirement from the civil service in 1849, after which he attempted to write comedies of social criticism. Among the best of the latter was Der kategorische Imperativ (The Categorical Imperative, 1851). His comedies were successful in nearly all German-language theaters, earning him a place in several Viennese literary societies and honorary degrees from universities. The city proclaimed his 70th birthday an official occasion of celebration, and when he turned 80, the celebrations were even more elaborate and extensive.