Simplicius Simplicissimus - the towering achievement of H.J.C. von Grimmelshausen, one of the earliest novelist in the German language - charts the adventures of its hero, Simplicius, through the horrors of battle, murder, fire and famine, offering an invaluable eyewitness account of the Thirty Years War and showing how humanity can, in the end, triumph over brutality. A work of great poetical beauty and satirical strength, and a lasting historical document of timeless value, Simplicius Simplicissimus is presented here in the only edition available in the English language, based on the original text of 1669.