Originally published in 1957, and reprinted with revisions in 1967, this collection draws together eight short stories from major figures in the landscape of German literature. Broadly representing the period from the end of the Second World War to 1955, it includes carefully chosen selections from the writings of Bertolt Brecht, Heinrich Boell, Elisabeth Langgasser, Heinz Risse, Ilse Aichinger, Kurk Kusenberg, Wolfgang Borchert, and Werner Bergengruen. All of the stories are printed in the original German, although each author is provided with an English Introduction and a German-English vocabulary is included at the end of the text.