Peter Altenberg (1859 - 1919) was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria.

His was born Richard Engländer on March 9, 1859. The nom de plume, Altenberg, came from a small town on the Danube River. Allegedly, he chose the surname to honor a woman with whom he was in unrequited love. Although he grew up in a middle class Jewish family, Altenberg eventually separated himself from his family of origin by dropping out of both law and medical school, and embracing Bohemianism as a permanent lifestyle choice.

At the fin de siècle, when Vienna was considered a major center for arts and culture, Altenberg was a very influential part of a literary and artistic movement known as Jung Wien or "Young Vienna." Altenberg was a contemporary of Karl Kraus, Gustav Mahler, Arthur Schnitzler, and Gustav Klimt. In addition to being a poet and prolific letter writer, he was an accomplished short story writer, prose writer, and essayist.

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