Georg Trakl

Georg Trakl (1887-1914) was born in Salzburg, Austria, where he spent the early years of his life. During his high school years, he began his first literary endeavors and explored artificial paradises through drug use. In 1908, he moved to Vienna to study pharmacy and subsequently attempted to work in the field. In 1913, his first poetry collection was published, and he collaborated with the avant-garde literary magazine "Der Brenner." During World War I, he served on the front lines as a medic, fell into depression amidst the slaughter, and attempted to shoot himself. Although Ludwig Wittgenstein rushed to see him at the Krakow hospital where he was under strict supervision, he did not make it in time: Trakl ultimately committed suicide by taking an overdose of cocaine at the age of 27.