Mira Lobe: Doyenne of Austrian Children´s and Youth Literature

A biography of an Austrian author, who wrote, almost exclusively, children`s and youth literature, does not currently exist. A broad examination of Mira Lobe (1913-1995), one of the most prominent personalities of children`s and literary history of the Second Republic, founded in biographical theory would be highly desirable, above all from the point of view of her reception history. Her uvre encompassing over a hundred individual works, including many canonical texts, has enjoyed a particularly broad reception, which may be explained from a socio-cultural standpoint as owing to her broad popularity with diverse groups of readers. An extensive study would constitute a fundamental and ground-breaking research achievement in the area of children`s and youth literature, at the same time as making a contribution to a larger panorama of cultural politics in Austria. Intercultural aspects - Lobe`s socialisation in pre-war Germany and Israel - form another important research aspect.

This project saw the creation of a comprehensive study of the life and work of Mira Lobe, the grande dame of Austrian childrens literature. The project was the first time that access to the authors substantial literary estate has been granted, as at the time of writing it was in private ownership. The authors papers were provisionally sorted and assessed, which proved to be a productive step: numerous fresh sources could be included in the project. At the same time, research was conducted in public archives and other personal papers. As a form of oral history, Georg Huemer also carried out many interviews with associates of Mira Lobe from both professional and personal contexts, among them the authors Renate Welsh and Käthe Recheis. Particular emphasis was placed on Mira Lobes early work in Austria, which has previously received little attention. By reconstructing the history of numerous Lobe texts it was possible to demonstrate the high degree of continuity in Lobes work: particular figures, motifs, themes and subjects recur throughout. Mira Lobes role as a supporter of, and central figure within, the renewal of Austrian childrens literature could also be shown.