Unsuccessful in his ambitions, the young and naive Peter Schlemihl seals a pact with the Devil in which he exchanges his shadow for the purse of Fortunatus, thereby gaining everlasting riches. But when he is ridiculed, persecuted, and hated for being different from other men, he realizes that poverty is easier to bear than the loss of his peace of mind. Originally written as a cautionary tale for the children of Chamisso’s patron, this amusing and poignant tale was hailed by contemporaries as a masterpiece with a wide adult appeal.
Adelbert von Chamisso (1781?1838) was a writer whose family was driven from France to Germany after the French Revolution. Leopold von Loewenstein-Wertheim is a translator.