The Stone Breakers and other novellas By Ferdinand von Saar, Translated by Kurt and Alice Bergel in collaboration with Dorothy Augustine, Afterword by Kurt Bergel

Ferdinand von Saar (1833-1906) is a transitional literary figure between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, between poetic idealism and modernism. The five novellas chosen for inclusion here — all appearing in English for the first time — represent five variations on the theme of love and sensuality as it occurs in a variety of settings involving different social classes, from railroad workers to the clergy to the aristocracy. Covering almost three decades, they provide a good overview of the concerns addressed in Saar's writings as well as of the changes in his style as he matured.