1898-1905

The fifth volume of the "Diaries" is of especial culture-historical interest. It was in the autumn of 1898 that Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) first visited Rome, a sojourn of several months to be followed by a number of others in the subsequent years. The record of her impressions in the "Diaries" is extremly minute, reflecting very clearly her intention to achieve as personal an approach as possible to the cultural and historical significance of this city. The volume also includes a 'supplement' in the form of the travelogue "Aus Rom. An meine Freunde", first published in the "Gartenlaube" periodical (1900) and not otherwise accessible. A comparison of this text with the notes in her diary provides impressive testimony of the process leading from the first jottings to the finished literary version of her experiences in Rome.