Josephine Mutzenbacher

Josefine Mutzenbacher
Title page from 1906
AuthorAnon. (attributed to Felix Salten)[1][2]
Original titleJosefine Mutzenbacher oder Die Geschichte einer Wienerischen Dirne von ihr selbst erzählt
TranslatorAnon.
LanguageGerman
GenreErotica
Publication date
1906
Publication placeAustria
Published in English
1931/1967/1973/2018
Media typePrint
Pages383
OCLC757734607

Josephine Mutzenbacher or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself (German: Josefine Mutzenbacher oder Die Geschichte einer Wienerischen Dirne von ihr selbst erzählt) is an erotic novel first published anonymously in Vienna, Austria, in 1906. The novel is famous[3][4][5] in the German-speaking world, having been in print in both German and English for over 100 years and sold over 3 million copies,[6] becoming an erotic bestseller.[7][8][9][10]

Although no author claimed responsibility for the work, it was originally attributed to either Felix Salten or Arthur Schnitzler by the librarians at the University of Vienna.[11] Today, critics, scholars, academics and the Austrian Government designate Salten as the sole author of the "pornographic classic".[12][13][14] In 2022, a stylometric analysis showed that Felix Salten is the most probable author of the novel, the final pages excluded.[2]

The original novel uses the specific local dialect of Vienna of that time in dialogues and is therefore used as a rare source of this dialect for linguists. It also describes, to some extent, the social and economic conditions of the lower class of that time. The novel has been translated into English, Swedish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Dutch, and Japanese among others,[15] and been the subject of numerous films, theater productions, parodies, and university courses, as well as two sequels.

A critical, annotated edition of the German-language text was only published in 2021.[16]

  1. ^ Eddy, Beverley Driver (2010). Felix Salten: Man of Many Faces. Riverside (Ca.): Ariadne Press. pp. 111–114. ISBN 978-1-57241-169-2.
  2. ^ a b Rebora, Simone; Salgaro, Massimo (2022). "Is Felix Salten the Author of the Mutzenbacher Novel (1906)? Yes and No". Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics. 31 (2): 243–264. doi:10.1177/09639470221090384. S2CID 248135373.
  3. ^ Outshoorn, Joyce (2004). The Politics of Prostitution: Women's Movements, Democratic States, and the Globalisation of Sex Commerce. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 41. ISBN 0-521-54069-0.
    Tohill, Cathal; Tombs, Pete (1995). Immoral tales: European sex & horror movies 1956–1984. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 46. ISBN 0-312-13519-X.
    Lexikon. Archived 29 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
    WAS IST SOLLIZITATION? Archived 30 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Wien im Rosenstolz 2006 Archived 17 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ ERBzine 0880: Mahlon Blaine Bio and Bib. Erbzine.com (5 June 1917). Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
  6. ^ Zensur.org – Bahle: Zensur in der Literatur Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Censuriana.de. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
    TRANS Nr. 14: Donald G. Daviau (Riverside/California): Austria at the Turn of the Century 1900 and at the Millenium [sic]
  7. ^ "Felix Salten: Schriftsteller, Journalist, Exilant". Jüdisches Museum Wien (Press release) (in German). 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008.
  8. ^ Felix Salten, Bambi, Walt Disney – Biography – Famous People from Vienna, Austria Archived 5 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Actilingua.com. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
  9. ^ Mutzenbacher, Josefine Mutzenbacher, Erotische Führung, Wienführung, Führungen in Wien, Anna Ehrlich Archived 22 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Wienfuehrung.com. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
  10. ^ Hamann, Brigitte (2000). Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-19-514053-2.
  11. ^ "Felix Salten: Author - Journalist - Émigré" (Press release). Jewish Museum Vienna. November 2006. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008.
  12. ^ Segel, Harold B. (1987). Turn-of-the-century cabaret: Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Cracow, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Zurich. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 183. ISBN 0-231-05128-X.
    Gilman, Sander L. (1985). Difference and pathology: stereotypes of sexuality, race, and madness. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press. p. 44. ISBN 0-8014-9332-3.
    Schnitzler, Arthur (2004). Round Dance and Other Plays. Translated by J. M. Q. Davies, with and introduction and notes by Ritchie Robertson. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. pp. X. ISBN 0-19-280459-6.
    Lendvai, Paul (1998). Blacklisted: A Journalist's Life in Central Europe. I. B. Tauris. pp. XV. ISBN 1-86064-268-3.
    Segel, Harold B. (1993). The Vienna Coffeehouse Wits, 1890–1938. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press. p. 166. ISBN 1-55753-033-5.
  13. ^ Archivmeldung: Felix Salten: "Von Josefine Mutzenbacher bis Bambi". Archived 21 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Wien.gv.at. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
  14. ^ (in German) Ungeheure Unzucht – DIE WELT – WELT ONLINE. Welt.de (3 January 2007). Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
    Olympia Press Ebooks: $1 Literary and Erotic Classics From The Fabled Olympia Press Archived 28 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Olympiapress.com. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
  15. ^ Felix Salten: A Preliminary Bibliography of His Works in Translation.
  16. ^ Klimek, Manfred (13 January 2022). "Mehr als irgendein Schmuddelbuch". Wiener Zeitung (in German).