Early Years and Bohemian Roots Adalbert Stifter, a name perhaps less familiar than many of his literary contemporaries, nevertheless holds a significant place within the landscape of 19th-century German literature. Born in Oberplan, a small village nestled in what is now the Czech Republic – Bohemia at the time – on October 23, 1805, Stifter’s early life was profoundly shaped by the quiet rhythms of rural existence and the loss of his father at a young age. His father, Johann Stifter, a linen weaver and flax dealer, tragically died in 1817 after being crushed by an overturned wagon, leavi…