From far-away Austrian Crown land of Galicia to Vienna. Siegfried Lipiner – the extraordinary librarian

Abstract

The present article aims to present the profile of Siegfried Lipiner (1876– –1911) who was a poet, admirer of F. Nietzsche, a friend and advisor to G. Mahler, translator of works by Mickiewicz, and a brilliant librarian. Born in Jarosław, Siegfried Lipiner moves in to Vienna in 1875 where he graduated from secondary school suma cum laude and then continued his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy. From the time of his secondary school education date his first poetical efforts, when he also managed to develop a circle of friends that included Gustav Mahler whose work was to be later much influenced by Lipiner as his closest friend and advisor. The epic poem Der entfesselte Prometheus, published in 1876, was highly praised by Nietzsche and engaged attention of Wagner. Works written later by the author were not, however, received as warmly as his first poetical endeavours. In 1881, thanks to the recommendation of Dr. Franciszek Smolka, the chairman of the House of Deputies of the Austrian Empire, Lipniner got a job in the library of the Imperial Council in which he worked for 30 years with commitment and devotion. Thanks to his skilful management and efforts, new funds for library were raised and new research and scientific associates, including Karl Renner – later the first post-war Chancellor and President of Austria, were co-opted. This collaboration made it possible to develop new subject catalogues, including the card catalogue that was used in the library until 1995. Lipiner’s efforts succeeded in expanding the library space (that of the present-day reading room). After the 30 years of his office the library of the Council (Parliament) is regarded as one of the best of its kind. Alongside his library work, Lipiner was engaged in further research work and professional development. In 1894 he was awarded a PhD following his doctoral dissertation Homunculus, eine Studie über Faust und die Philosophie Goethes. Inspired by Count Karol Lanckoroński, he translated works by Adam Mickiewicz: Pan Tadeusz and the Forefathers – and his translations, published in 1883 and 1887 respectively, are considered as outstanding even today.