Adelbert von Chamisso (1781–1838)

This is a delightful story first published just over 200 years ago. Although there are occasional elements of humour, it is essentially a tragedy. The fact that the author never explained what was meant with the shadow that Peter Schlemihl sold to the mysterious stranger merely adds to the story's charm. It is up to the reader to decide its significance, or in fact whether it was meant to have a particular meaning at all. What happened to Peter Schlemihl as a result, his further development, show more speaks for itself. Read it and decide for yourself what "the moral of the story" is! show less

Although the book does not list a publication date, likely it was printed in 1913 or 1914. Both stories in this volume involve making a deal with the devil or demon. In the first one, a man decides to trade his shadow for a purse that is always filled with gold. He thinks he made a marvelous deal, until the ramifications of having no shadow become evident. Children jeer him, adults shun him, and the father of the woman he wishes to marry dismisses him. In trying to undo the deed, he soon show more learns that an even greater sacrifice is needed, one he is unwilling to make. In the second story, a man is granted three wishes, but he chooses poorly. He ends up with a heart of stone, a cold heart that can feel nothing. Things eventually work out better for him than for the shadowless man, but not before he experiences great heartache. These fairy tales are translations, and the language flow is different from modern books. Still, they are well written, and have a moral: be very careful what you wish for, because it may not be what you really wanted, and be aware of whom you make deals with, because they may not be what they seem to be. All in all, these two tales are quite entertaining, and stand up well to the test of time. show less

Our hero, Peter Schlemihl, is a poor young man, in town to get an introduction to a local aristocrat. But at their meeting, he encounters a strange man in grey - a man with capacious pockets, bringing forth everything the nobles want, while they seem to barely notice him...
In a twist on Faust, the grey man offers Peter limitless gold...in exchange for his shadow.
It all seemed a bit silly after this. Having thought "big deal! he won't miss a shadow!" it turns out to be a vital possession. show more Without it, he is cut off from society; his girlfriend's parents- initially so thrilled at a wealthy match- make her break their engagement, and he only darews venture out under dark. And then the Devil returns to offer to return the shadow...in exchange for his soul.
All a bit silly; the ending, where Peter (like the author) embarks on a life of travel and botanizing, seems somewhat unconnected. show less

While seeking patronage with a local squire after a long journey, Peter Schlemihl encounters a mysterious man in grey who appears to be able to fulfil everyone's wishes. About to leave the squire's party, Peter is approached by the stranger and offered the purse of Fortunatus with its inexhaustible supply of gold in exchange for his shadow. In his folly Peter agrees, but he soon finds cause to regret his impetuous decision.

A classic of 19th-century German Romanticism, this morality tale was show more written for the children of the author's patron, and it shows – the tone is very much that of a fairy tale intended for the moral instruction of children, very popular at the time it was written. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but the story's characters remain one dimensional and there is virtually no character progression, though it is interesting to note that the narrator of the story, Peter Schlemihl himself, addresses himself directly to the author, as if in corroboration of the veracity of the events. Towards the end the plot takes a rather unexpected direction when I was hoping for some sort of resolution to Peter's dilemma, and although the ending feels unsatisfactory to me, there is a message to be found. show less