Showing results for "The Rider on the White Horse" in All Categories

The Rider on the White Horse (German: Der Schimmelreiter) is a novella by German writer Theodor Storm. It is his last complete work, first published in 1888, the year of his death. The novella is Storm's best remembered and most widely read work, and considered by many to be his masterpiece. The novella tells the story of Hauke Haien, allegedly related to the author by a schoolmaster in a small town in Northern Frisia. Hauke is the son of a farmer and licensed surveyor, and does his best to learn his father's trade.

The Rider on the White Horse is one of the most beautiful stories to emerge from 19th century Germany, as well as being one of the most romantic and most tragic. In this short masterpiece, set in the middle of the 18th century in North Friesland, Theodor Storm exhibits a man's will in conflict with unintelligent conservatism among his fellow men on one side, and with the forces of nature on the other. The figure of dikemaster Hauke Haien emerges from this struggle in starkly outlined character.