Barbarossa, and Other Tales

In Short

This collection of six translated novellas features characters caught between rigid social obligations and profound personal desires. A reclusive narrator listens to stories of crime and heartbreaking loss in the Italian mountains; a young woman named Lottka faces systemic hardship and doomed devotion; a Swiss family is shattered by a son’s mysterious disappearance and a tragic duel; a burdened beauty flees unwanted suitors; and medieval lovers face impossible feudal debts. Through vivid historical settings and introspective drama, the book explores how love, guilt, and honor shape human destiny across different eras and landscapes.

The Story

The book moves through a series of distinct narrative arcs, each centered on a different tragic dilemma. In the title story, a reclusive narrator retreats into the wild, high-perched ruins of the Albano and Sabine mountains to satisfy a longing for solitude. There, he hears the story of Domenico, a man who spends days keeping vigil beside the corpse of the woman he loved. When her former lover—the captain—arrives, Domenico confesses his guilt, expecting violence, but the captain forgives him, urging him to flee to Africa and start anew.

In another tale, the narrative follows Lottka, a young Polish woman of quiet resilience who is pursued by Sebastian, a passionate but green schoolboy poet. As Sebastian tries to protect her from predatory men, Lottka hides a tragic past and a growing sense of hopelessness. Despite Sebastian’s desperate declarations of love, Lottka recognizes that her life is irreparably damaged. She spends her remaining money on a final, quiet Christmas outing with him before stepping out into the cold, choosing to embrace her grim fate rather than ruin his future.

The narrative then shifts to a solemn house in Berne, where Frau Helena Amthor mourns her vanished son, Andreas, while strict social rules govern her daughter, Lisabethli. A wounded young traveler, Kurt Brucker, arrives under their care, claiming innocence after a midnight brawl. Lisabethli and Kurt fall deeply in love, but tragedy strikes when news arrives that Andreas was killed in a duel—and that Kurt was the very man who delivered the fatal blow in self-defence. Devastated by the truth, Frau Helena is torn between her vow of hospitality to the innocent killer and her crushing grief for her dead son.

In a lighter narrative, the beautiful Katharine—dubbed "The Fair Kate"—struggles against her own striking looks, which attract endless unwanted attention and drive her from town to town. Frustrated that an artist friend, Mynheer van Kuylen, has painted her likeness as a biblical figure, she threatens desperate measures, forcing her companions to intervene before her reputation is damaged.

Finally, the collection returns to medieval Provence in the story of Geoffroy and Garcinde. When Count Hugo is forced to sacrifice his daughter Garcinde to satisfy a debt to the ruthless Count Pierre de Gaillac, Garcinde chooses death over dishonor. Count Hugo delivers his daughter's dead body on a bier to the creditor's castle gate, declaring the debt paid, before burying her himself at a mountain chapel and dying beside her grave. Geoffroy, broken-hearted, rides off to join the Crusades and never returns.

How It Unfolds

Solitude in the mountains A traveler seeking refuge in the Italian crags listens to a dark tale of past heartbreak and loss.

Vigil for the dead A heartbroken lover sits beside a corpse, where he receives unexpected forgiveness from his bitter rival.

A girl's heavy secrets An awkward adolescent poet attempts to decode the mysterious sadness of Lottka, a young Polish woman living in isolation.

A final Christmas stroll Lottka spends her last remaining coins to create a small holiday outing before resolving to end her suffering.

A missing son's shadow Frau Helena Amthor keeps a strict home in Berne, haunted by the sudden disappearance of her troubled son Andreas.

An innocent guest arrives The wounded traveler Kurt Brucker enters the Amthor household, capturing the heart of young Lisabethli while recovering from a duel.

A fatal realization Frau Helena discovers that her beloved son was the man killed in self-defence by her own houseguest.

The burden of beauty Katharine flees unwanted suitors and public attention, cursing the very face that brings her endless misfortune.

A painter's indiscretion Katharine confronts her artist friend for using her likeness in a public painting without her consent.

A knightly debt demanded Count Hugo faces financial ruin, forcing his daughter Garcinde to decide between a dishonorable marriage and her own principles.

The bitter delivery Count Hugo carries Garcinde's corpse to his creditor's balcony, fulfilling his pledge in the most tragic manner possible.

A journey to the East Geoffroy leaves behind the grave of his childhood love and departs for the Crusades, never to return home.

The People

• Domenico, a troubled shopkeeper who endures immense guilt while watching over the body of his deceased love.
• The Captain, a brave man who chooses mercy and forgiveness over vengeance when confronting his rival.
• Lottka, a resilient Polish girl of striking composure who quietly carries a heavy burden of past grief and hopelessness.
• Sebastian, an idealistic, short-sighted young poet who desperately tries to champion Lottka from disrespectful men.
• Frau Helena Amthor, a stern Swiss mother whose life is governed by a singular, spectral grief for her missing son.
• Lisabethli, Frau Helena's nineteen-year-old daughter, who falls deeply in love with the wounded stranger under their roof.
• Kurt Brucker, a candid, innocent youth from Augsburg who finds himself trapped in a tragic conflict of honor.
• Katharine (The Fair Kate), an outspoken young woman who views her own beauty as a curse that brings constant trouble.
• Geoffroy, a noble youth who sings the ancient songs of Provence while facing the loss of his childhood playmate.
• Garcinde, a knight's daughter who chooses death over a marriage that would compromise her soul and honor.

In Its Own Voice

"What after all is human life, amico mio! A fleeting nothing! grass that is green in the field to-day, and to-morrow dry and withered."

A heartbroken narrator reflects on the brevity of existence while standing in his dark shop beside his rival.

"No light matter is it to have a human life upon one's conscience, even when taken in fair fight!"

A wounded young traveler defends his actions after being forced into a violent midnight brawl.

"The debtor pays to the creditor all that he owes him!"

A herald cries out to a crowd as a grieving father delivers his daughter's bier to a castle gate.

What It's Really About

The collection explores the weight of moral duty when it conflicts directly with human affection. A recurring theme is the burden of circumstance: characters rarely choose their trials, yet they are judged by how they endure them. Beautiful women find their looks to be a source of vulnerability rather than power, while young men are tested by rigid codes of honor and sudden violence. The stories continually ask whether forgiveness is possible when damage cannot be undone, showing how grief and guilt transform ordinary lives. Across every tale, the characters choose tragic dignity over dishonorable compromise, accepting the consequences of their ideals even when the cost is complete isolation or death.

Why Read It Today

This collection will appeal to readers who enjoy nineteenth-century romantic realism, intricate historical settings, and classic tales of tragic romance. The prose carries a deliberate, measured cadence that captures the emotional weight of each scene with visual clarity. While modern readers may find the formal dialogue and melodramatic turns of plot reflective of another era, the underlying human dilemmas remain deeply moving. The translation retains a distinct period atmosphere, rich with regional details ranging from quiet Italian mountain villages to the ancient halls of medieval Provence. It is a satisfying read for anyone interested in classic European fiction, offering a gentle reminder of the enduring power of honor, loss, and unyielding devotion.