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The Dwarf of Westerbourg
The Dwarf of Westerbourg, out of print for almost two hundred years in English, and with only three copies of the original print run known to exist, is the acknowledged masterpiece of Christian Heinrich Spiess, and one of the most outrageous Gothic novels ever produced in that genre’s heyday.
Set in the thirteenth century, this bizarre story of Rodolphe of Westerbourg, a knight, and the dwarf-phantom Peter, is replete with black magic, gruesome killings and horrid happenings—is, in fact, a whirlwind of strange adventure piled on strange adventure, a downward spiraling, the depths of which few works of literature have managed to achieve.
Upon its original publication in Germany in 1791, the book, with its questionable morality and unmentionable events, shocked readers and quickly became a bestseller of its time.
The Dwarf of Westerbourg, an influence on both Matthew Lewis’s The Monk and the works of Ann Radcliffe, might be considered the Holy Grail of Gothic horror novels, an item for the connoisseur of the ghastly, and is here finally made available again to the English speaking public.
Set in the thirteenth century, this bizarre story of Rodolphe of Westerbourg, a knight, and the dwarf-phantom Peter, is replete with black magic, gruesome killings and horrid happenings—is, in fact, a whirlwind of strange adventure piled on strange adventure, a downward spiraling, the depths of which few works of literature have managed to achieve.
Upon its original publication in Germany in 1791, the book, with its questionable morality and unmentionable events, shocked readers and quickly became a bestseller of its time.
The Dwarf of Westerbourg, an influence on both Matthew Lewis’s The Monk and the works of Ann Radcliffe, might be considered the Holy Grail of Gothic horror novels, an item for the connoisseur of the ghastly, and is here finally made available again to the English speaking public.
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1791
75 people want to read
About the author
Christian Heinrich Spieß
109 books6 followersChristian Heinrich Spieß (1755 - 1799) was a German actor, dramatist, and writer of romances.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 15, 2025
English review below ⬇️ (English version of the book is called „The Dwarf of Westerbourg“)
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German review:
Kurz zum Inhalt: Eine mittelalterlich angehauchte Schauergeschichte über den Ritter Rudolph aus dem Geschlecht der Westerburgs und Geisterwesen, die an dieses Geschlecht gebunden sind. Eine Geschichte über den Preis der Verführung – ein Widerstreit von Unschuld und Sünde. 👻 🖤
Laut dem Autor Christian Heinrich Spieß soll die Erzählung illustrieren, wie schnell ein einmal falsch eingeschlagener Weg zur Verdammnis führen kann. 😈⬅️ 👣 ➡️👼🏻 Meines Erachtens ist ihm das auf eine geniale Weise gelungen, indem er dem schicksalhaften Handlungsstrang etwas Tragisch-Komisches verleiht. Der Roman verkörpert das Prinzip des Wahnsinns, nach welchem der derart definiert wird, dass es Wahnsinn ist, immer wieder das Gleiche tun und ein anderes Ergebnis zu erwarten, was der Leitsatz dieses Romans zu sein scheint 😂 Es ist teils wirklich schmerzhaft diesem Prozess mitzuverfolgen 🫣😅 aber auch spannend die Motive der Geister hinter diesem Treiben zu ergründen, die ersten in den letzten Seiten aufgedeckt werden und man lange Zeit rätseln muss, wer gut und wer böse repräsentiert – und warum☺️ 🖤
Gesamt: 4,7 🌟🌟
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English review:
Brief summary: A medieval-inspired gothic story about the knight Rudolph from the Westerburg family and ghosts bound to this family. A story of repeated seduction and the resulting vices and sins – a conflict between innocence and guilt. 👻 🖤
According to author Christian Heinrich Spieß, the story illustrates how quickly a wrong turn can lead to damnation. 😈⬅️ 👣 ➡️👼🏻 In my opinion, he has succeeded in doing this brilliantly by adding a tragicomic element to the fateful plot. The novel embodies the principle of insanity, which is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, which seems to be the guiding principle of this novel 😂 It is sometimes really painful to follow this process 🫣😅 but it is also exciting to explore the motives of the ghosts behind these goings-on, which are revealed in the last few pages, leaving you guessing for a long time who represents good and who represents evil - and why☺️ 🖤
Overall: 4.7 🌟🌟
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German review:
Kurz zum Inhalt: Eine mittelalterlich angehauchte Schauergeschichte über den Ritter Rudolph aus dem Geschlecht der Westerburgs und Geisterwesen, die an dieses Geschlecht gebunden sind. Eine Geschichte über den Preis der Verführung – ein Widerstreit von Unschuld und Sünde. 👻 🖤
Laut dem Autor Christian Heinrich Spieß soll die Erzählung illustrieren, wie schnell ein einmal falsch eingeschlagener Weg zur Verdammnis führen kann. 😈⬅️ 👣 ➡️👼🏻 Meines Erachtens ist ihm das auf eine geniale Weise gelungen, indem er dem schicksalhaften Handlungsstrang etwas Tragisch-Komisches verleiht. Der Roman verkörpert das Prinzip des Wahnsinns, nach welchem der derart definiert wird, dass es Wahnsinn ist, immer wieder das Gleiche tun und ein anderes Ergebnis zu erwarten, was der Leitsatz dieses Romans zu sein scheint 😂 Es ist teils wirklich schmerzhaft diesem Prozess mitzuverfolgen 🫣😅 aber auch spannend die Motive der Geister hinter diesem Treiben zu ergründen, die ersten in den letzten Seiten aufgedeckt werden und man lange Zeit rätseln muss, wer gut und wer böse repräsentiert – und warum☺️ 🖤
Gesamt: 4,7 🌟🌟
---------------------
English review:
Brief summary: A medieval-inspired gothic story about the knight Rudolph from the Westerburg family and ghosts bound to this family. A story of repeated seduction and the resulting vices and sins – a conflict between innocence and guilt. 👻 🖤
According to author Christian Heinrich Spieß, the story illustrates how quickly a wrong turn can lead to damnation. 😈⬅️ 👣 ➡️👼🏻 In my opinion, he has succeeded in doing this brilliantly by adding a tragicomic element to the fateful plot. The novel embodies the principle of insanity, which is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, which seems to be the guiding principle of this novel 😂 It is sometimes really painful to follow this process 🫣😅 but it is also exciting to explore the motives of the ghosts behind these goings-on, which are revealed in the last few pages, leaving you guessing for a long time who represents good and who represents evil - and why☺️ 🖤
Overall: 4.7 🌟🌟
June 8, 2025
Spiess, Christian Heinrich - The Dwarf Of Westerbourg
Good knight Rudolph comes into his inheritance, which includes a magical dwarf who has been advising and serving the Westerbourg crest for centuries.
Rudolph is an earnest knight, more concerned with tournaments and conflicts, than romance.
The dwarf, Peter, gradually shifts his eye towards the fairer sex, those of pure innocence.
From then on, Rudolph steps down an ever steepening slope, pursuing and possessing the virtuous.
Maiden after maiden, each displacing the other in terms of unequaled beauty.
Time and again, Rudolph has moral arguments with himself, yet – to be honest dear reader – he has the resolve (and IQ) of a biscuit.
An incredibly funny book, roaring with adventures, swinging from macabre to preposterous.
Influential on Lewis’ “The Monk” and Radcliffe’s “The Mysteries Of Udolpho.”
Good knight Rudolph comes into his inheritance, which includes a magical dwarf who has been advising and serving the Westerbourg crest for centuries.
Rudolph is an earnest knight, more concerned with tournaments and conflicts, than romance.
The dwarf, Peter, gradually shifts his eye towards the fairer sex, those of pure innocence.
From then on, Rudolph steps down an ever steepening slope, pursuing and possessing the virtuous.
Maiden after maiden, each displacing the other in terms of unequaled beauty.
Time and again, Rudolph has moral arguments with himself, yet – to be honest dear reader – he has the resolve (and IQ) of a biscuit.
An incredibly funny book, roaring with adventures, swinging from macabre to preposterous.
Influential on Lewis’ “The Monk” and Radcliffe’s “The Mysteries Of Udolpho.”
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews