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Abstract: The article is devoted to the works of early Austrian expressionists A. Kubin, G. Trakl and A. Ehrenstein which demonstrate specific features of early Austrian expressionism in the European context. On the one hand, Austrian expressionism sticks to the traditions of the Viennese modern; on the other hand it demonstrates all features typical of literary avant-garde of the beginning of the 20th century. Early Austrian expressionism differs from early German expressionism by its fantastic nature that gives rise to the German science fiction literature of the 20th century. One more specific feature of Austrian expressionism is the syncretic nature of its most outstanding works. The authors work in several genres at the same time – in poetry, prose and painting. The unique Viennese atmosphere in which one can find different discourses contributes to the special psychological and philosophical background in early Austrian expressionism as many achievements in medicine, psychoanalysis, physics and other sciences are aesthetically interpreted. Austrian expressionism is multicultural; it reflects the situation in the country that integrates different cultural traditions. It was Austrian artists, poets and writers who introduced German-speaking expressionism as a breakthrough of artistic and aesthetic systems. German studies of the last decades have reconsidered the role of Austrian phenomenon in expressionistic discourse.