The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus — H.J.C. Grimmelshausen

Written against a background of the Thirty Years' War and firstpublished in 1669, this renowned picaresque classic recounts withwonderful biting satire the vagabond adventures of a not-so-simplesimpleton during one of Europe's fiercest, yet ultimately most futilewars. Simplicius is an earthy character; he humiliates the mighty,confounds the gods, ridicules the pretentious. The translationuses the authoritative first edition for its text, and though it hasbeen slightly abbreviated, no essential passages have been sacrificed.This unexpurgated translation reflects the linguistic turmoil andrichness of German in the 17th century; it is ideal as the centrepiecefor courses in German literature in translation and courses in theEuropean Baroque.