author
Johann Karl August Musäus
1735–1787
An early collector of German folk stories, this Enlightenment-era writer gave old tales a sly, witty twist. Best known for Volksmärchen der Deutschen, he helped shape the literary afterlife of folklore long before the Brothers Grimm.
2 Audiobooks
Die Nymphe des Brunnens
by Johann Karl August Musäus
Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3): Tales by Musæus, Tieck, Richter
by Thomas Carlyle, Jean Paul, Johann Karl August Musäus, Ludwig Tieck
About the author
Born in Jena in 1735 and later active in Weimar, Johann Karl August Musäus was a German writer and critic of the Enlightenment. He studied theology, but turned toward literature instead, building a reputation for sharp, playful satire.
His best-known work is Volksmärchen der Deutschen (published in five volumes from 1782 to 1787), a collection of German folk stories retold with irony and charm. Because he reshaped traditional material rather than recording it plainly, his tales stand at an interesting point between folklore and literary art.
Musäus also wrote satirical works such as Der deutsche Grandison and Physiognomische Reisen. He died in Weimar in 1787, but his fairy-tale retellings remained widely read and helped keep older story traditions alive for later generations.