Peter Altenberg was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria. He was key to the genesis of early modernism in the city.
He was born Richard Englnder onMarch 1859 in Vienna. The nom de plume, Altenberg, came from a small town on the Danube river. Allegedly, he chose the Peter to honor a young girl whom he remembered as an unrequited love . Although he grew up in a middle class Jewish family, Altenberg eventually separated himself from his family of origin by dropping out of both law and medical school, and embracing Bohemianism as a permanent lifestyle choice. He cultivated a feminine appearance and feminine handwriting, wore a cape, sandals and a broadbrimmed hat, and despised macho masculinity.
Source: Wikipedia