Robert Musil was an Austrian philosophical writer, born on November 6, 1880, in Klagenfurt, Austria, and he passed away on April 15, 1942, in Geneva, Switzerland. He is renowned for his unfinished novel, The Man Without Qualities (German: Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften), which is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential modernist novels.

Musil graduated from military boarding school at Eisenstadt (1892-1894) and then in Hranice, known then as Mährisch Weißkirchen, (1894-1897). His experiences in these schools are reflected in his first novel, The Confusions of Young Törless. During the First World War, he served in the army.

In 1938, when Austria became part of the Third Reich, Musil went into exile in Switzerland, where he continued his literary work until his death. He died of a stroke, reportedly with an expression of ironic amusement on his face, during his gymnastic exercises. He was 61 years old.