In Theodor Fontane the golden age of Prussian civilization found its most brilliant chronicler, and most formidable critic.
Effi Briest is the story of a woman's adultery and its absurd and pitiful consequences. Fresh, impetuous and enchanting, Effi is pitted against the cold unreason of Innstetten, her husband, and the wiles of Crampas, professional amorist, gambler and society man, and against the implacable forces of Prussian rectitude.
Her fate mirrors a dazzling complex of social and moral issues in a remarkable and haunting novel, which achieves a perfect balance between the conflict of the individual and a careful, accurate documentation of a social milieu.
Translated by Douglas Parmée
Theodor Fontane (1819-98) was a German novelist and political reporter. Along with Effi Briest, Fontane is remembered for Frau Jenny Treibel, an ironic criticism of middle-class hypocrisy and small-mindedness.