born May 15, 1862, Vienna, Austria
died Oct. 21, 1931, Vienna
Austrian playwright and novelist.
Schnitzler practiced medicine in Vienna most of his life, and he also studied psychiatry. He became known for his psychological dramas and for his fearlessness in depicting the erotic lives of his characters, beginning with the early play Anatol (1893). His best-known play, Reigen ( Merry-Go-Round , 1897), was a cycle of 10 dramatic dialogues that traced the links connecting the partners in a series of sexual encounters; considered scandalous when first performed in 1920, it was filmed as La Ronde by Max Ophüls in 1950. His drama Playing with Love (1896) and his most successful novel, None but the Brave (1901), revealed the hollowness of the Austrian military code of honour.