One of the most enigmatic of German writers, Heinrich von Kleist has been the object of critical debate and controversy from his appearance on the literary scene, in the first decade of the nineteenth century, to the present day. That his creative genius was of an exceptionally high order has never been disputed. It was rather the extremity and immoderation of his depictions that shocked his contemporaries, denying him the public and critical acclaim he coveted and believed he deserved. In his plays and stories, raging passions result in shattered skulls with brains oozing from them and suitors slain and devoured in the name of love. This very propensity has contributed to maintaining interest in his works, as have the shocking circumstances of his suicide.

Kleist's short life is almost as much a puzzle as his works. (His death came just a month after his thirty-fourth birthday; he...