The Mysterious Stranger: A Romance

In 1590, three adolescent boys—Theodor, Seppi, and Nikolaus—live relatively happy, simple lives in the remote Austrian village of Eseldorf (German for "Assville" or "Donkeytown"). The story is narrated by Theodor, the son of the village organist. Other local figures include Father Peter, his niece Marget, and an astrologer. One day, a handsome youth calling himself Satan appears in the village. He explains that he is an angel and the nephew of the fallen angel whose name he shares. Satan performs a number of magical feats and claims to possess complete knowledge of the future. He predicts a series of misfortunes that will soon befall people the boys care about. At first skeptical, the boys are convinced when one of his predictions comes true. As further tragedies unfold, the boys beg Satan to intervene. He agrees, but only according to his own rigid and technical definition of mercy. Rather than preventing suffering, he often shortens it—for example, replacing a lingering death by illness with an immediate one. Through Satan's actions and commentary, the boys are gradually exposed to a grim vision of human existence. Satan transports the boys to various locations, where they witness religious fanaticism, witch trials, executions, war, and mass hysteria. Throughout these episodes, Satan repeatedly emphasizes the cruelty, irrationality, and moral inconsistency of human society, particularly as shaped by organized religion and claims of divine justice. In the concluding section, Satan reveals that the world the boys have witnessed—along with its suffering, moral systems, and religious beliefs—is ultimately illusory. He denies the existence of God, moral order, and objective reality, asserting that human life itself is only a dream. After delivering this revelation, Satan disappears, leaving Theodor alone to confront the implications of a universe devoid of meaning or divine justice.