Josefine Mutzenbacher
The 1906 Viennese erotic novel published anonymously and commonly attributed to Felix Salten, author of Bambi. The attribution has never been confirmed.
- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- 1906
- Form
- Novels
- Authorship
- Disputed: Felix Salten is a candidate, not a fact
- Attribution source
- Wikidata P50 (Q255423); Wikipedia note
- Reason for anonymity
- Propriety
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
Josefine Mutzenbacher, or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself, appeared privately in Vienna in 1906 with no author's name, and has remained continuously in print, litigation, and controversy since. Viennese literary tradition attributes it to Felix Salten, the feuilletonist who later wrote Bambi, on the strength of contemporary rumor and stylistic argument. Salten neither confirmed nor convincingly denied it, and no documentary proof has surfaced. The attribution is plausible, widely repeated, and unproven, and this site records it as disputed rather than settled. The contrast between the two books usually attached to one name keeps the question alive.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Josefine Mutzenbacher?
The authorship of Josefine Mutzenbacher is disputed. Felix Salten is a documented candidate, but the attribution has never been established, and this entry does not state it as fact.
Can I read Josefine Mutzenbacher for free?
Yes. Josefine Mutzenbacher is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at Project Gutenberg.
When was Josefine Mutzenbacher published?
Josefine Mutzenbacher was published in 1906 without an author’s name.
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