Caspar Hauser; oder, Die Trägheit des Herzens, Roman

In the summer of 1828 a bewildering rumor spreads through Nürnberg: a lone teenager, barely able to speak, is being held in a tower of the city’s old castle. He moves with the tentative steps of a child learning to walk, eyes that seem to shy away from light, and a habit of clutching a tiny wooden horse. The townspeople swarm the stone steps, half‑amused and half‑terrified, trying to decipher the strange gestures of a creature that refuses ordinary food and answers questions with only fragmented sounds.

When the boy is finally taken from his prison to the estate of a cavalry officer, his fragile condition and mute demeanor deepen the mystery. Doctors, soldiers, and curious locals attempt to probe his past, each encounter revealing more about his isolation than about his origins. The novel follows the delicate balance between compassion and exploitation, inviting listeners to contemplate what it means to be human when language fails and the heart remains stubbornly inert.