Thomas Bernhard (German: [ˈtoːmas ˈbɛʁnhaʁt]; born Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard; February 9, 1931 – February 12, 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet. Bernhard, whose body of work has been called "the most significant literary achievement since World War II,"[9] is widely considered to be one of the most important German-speaking authors of the postwar era.