FTB – Thomas Bernhard Research Centre

Thomas Bernhard (1931–1989) is one of the most significant and internationally acclaimed Austrian authors of the 20^th century. Since 2023, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) and the Austrian National Library (OeNB) hold documents on his life, work and impact, along with Bernhard’s literary papers.

A key objective of the Thomas Bernhard Research Centre at the ACDH-CH (research unit Literary&Textual Studies) is to create an online research platform that will make the author’s private library accessible and host future digital editions. Furthermore, the first comprehensive translation database of Thomas Bernhard’s complete works is currently being developed. The Research Centre will provide an extensive collection of critiques and other material related to Bernhard’s reception, including event and theatre posters, programme brochures as well as audiovisual media to facilitate aspect-guided research. Aiming for broad access, the platform addresses both experts and the general public.

The guiding interest is to further explore Bernhard’s work in the context of literary, cultural and media history; we expect research to gain new insights from the holdings made digitally accessible for the first time. Workshops, exhibitions, events and publications will contribute to the dissemination of the research results, encouraging interdisciplinary discussions on the author’s work in all its contexts.