Johann Karl August Musäus is known today primarily as the author of the Volksmährchen der Deutschen (1782-1786; translated as Popular Tales of the Germans, 1791), a collection of popular German tales that is still widely read. He is recognized as one of the most talented humorists and wittiest narrators in eighteenth-century German literature.

Born on 29 March 1735 into a family of renowned theologians and lawyers in Jena (Thuringia), Musäus was educated by his uncle, a Lutheran church official in Eisenach. At the age of nineteen Musäus began his studies of theology at the University of Jena, graduating as a candidate for the Christian ministry in 1758. But his appointment as pastor to the church in Farnroda, a Thuringian village, was canceled by the church council when it was reported that Musäus had been seen dancing in public.

After the setback Mus...