A masterpiece of German literature, this is the only edition in print in the English-speaking world of the complete Wilhelm Meister—both Wilhelm Meister's Years of Apprenticeship and Wilhelm Meister's Years of Travel Spring had appeared in its full magnificence—an untimely storm that had been threatening all day broke turbulently on the heights, the rain moved over the countryside, the sun came out again in its radiance, and against the grey background the splendid rainbow became visible. Wilhelm was riding towards it, and looked at it with melancholy. Seduced by the chimerical world of the theater and taking upon himself the grand ambition of becoming a successful performer and dramatist, the merchant's son Wilhelm Meister embarks on a tumultuous quest of self-discovery. Along his path he finds himself having to negotiate love, desire, and the need to face up to his own past and responsibilities. A landmark in the history of European literature, this novel is not only one of the key works of Weimar Classicism and the prototype for the Bildungsroman genre, but also a timeless tale of coming into one's own and a fascinating portrayal of the late-18th-century theater world.

Product Description: Originally published in 1957, and reprinted with revisions in 1967, this collection draws together eight short stories from major figures in the landscape of German literature. Broadly representing the period from the end of the Second World War to 1955, it includes carefully chosen selections from the writings of Bertolt Brecht, Heinrich Böll, Elisabeth Langgässer, Heinz Risse, Ilse Aichinger, Kurk Kusenberg, Wolfgang Borchert, and Werner Bergengruen...read more

Product Description: Baron Eduard and his second wife Charlotte enjoy a quiet, humdrum existence in their opulent castle. When he invites his friend the captain and she invites her niece Ottilie to stay with them, both hosts’ lives turn inside out when they begin to feel attracted to their guests...read more

Product Description: After one of their own members repeatedly fails to live up to a pact with the Devil, a petty and morally bankrupt village community is terrorized by a succession of deadly black spiders. First published in 1842, this haunting cautionary novella shrewdly dissects the iniquitous social dynamics of rural life through the use of dark satire and realism...read more

Product Description: This books aim is to introduce the English reader to the major Swiss novelist.

Product Description: This 1969 collection draws together eight short stories from major figures in the landscape of German literature. Broadly representing the period from 1955 to 1965, it includes carefully chosen selections from the writings of Wolfdietrich Schnurre, Johannes Bobrowski, Marie Luise Kaschnitz, Martin Walser, Herbert Eisenreich, Heinz Albers, Siegfried Lenz and Hans Erich Nossack...read more

Product Description: This 1960 collection draws together six short stories from major figures in the landscape of German literature. Broadly representing the period from the beginning of the twentieth century to 1945, it includes carefully chosen selections from the writings of Thomas Mann, Herman Hesse, Robert Walser, Franz Kafka, Stefan Zweig and Friedo Lampe...read more

Product Description: This is a critical account of one of the most individual and highly developed genres in German literature. The novella may be defined as a narrative in prose, usually short, dealing with one striking fateful event and distinguished by careful artistry of presentation...read more