Collected Novels and Novellas - Volume IX

“Before the Storm” is Theodor Fontane’s epic portrait of a society in transition – a novel about honor, idealism and the power of the individual in history.
The story continues to center on the young Lewin von Vitzewitz, whose fervent patriotism leads him to join the secret resistance against the Napoleonic occupation. Torn between family obligations, inner doubts, and growing rebellion, Lewin becomes a symbolic figure for the young generation ready to fight for a free Prussia.
While conspirators, patriots, nobles, peasants, and citizens are organizing in Berlin and Brandenburg, we also witness the tender blossoming of a love story and the struggle of an old society with the new era. Fontane shows how the grand is reflected in the small – how the conflicts in the drawing-room, at the dinner table, or in the parsonage become part of the historical upheaval.

With his keen sense for social dynamics, ironic distance and precise language, Fontane creates a portrait of the times that is as moving as it is instructive – and seems surprisingly modern.
"Collected Novels and Novellas - Volume IX" is an unaltered, high-quality reprint of the original edition from 1891.