The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Author: (German) Ehrenfried August von Harz, (German) Georg Philipp Harsd?rffer
Translators: Cheng Yue, Chen Nili
Country: Germany
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The original title of this book is The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen. It is adapted from the stories told by the 18th-century German baron, Munchausen, and has captivated audiences worldwide for over two centuries, being hailed as a treasure of children's literature and a milestone of satirical literature. These stories are absurd, fantastical, imaginative, cleverly constructed, and witty, such as "jumping out of the mud by holding his tail," "hunting ducks with sparks from his eyes," "flying through the sky on a cannonball," and "climbing the moon by holding onto bean vines," etc. They are hilarious and amusing to read. The book is a collection of many short stories, which are interconnected to some extent. All the stories are narrated in the first person from the perspective of the protagonist, Munchausen, making them more natural, vivid, and realistic. In the long history of the development of world children's literature, the classic works of these masters have continuously influenced generations of young readers. This book is part of the World Children's Literature Classics Series, which primarily selects and republishes influential world children's literature classics that have been edited and published over a long period of time. The main purpose is to provide young readers with better literary reading materials, allowing them to gain more beneficial insights from these children's literature classics while broadening their horizons, refining their character, enriching their imagination, and adding color and interest to their lives. According to the records of, the roads to regions in Northern Germany, Poland, Courland, and Livonia were more rugged and difficult to traverse than climbing a moral temple. However, I can confidently say that during the depths of winter, the roads there would be leveled by ice and snow, making them smooth. This way, the governments of the various states along the way would not need to spend huge sums of money under the guise of benefiting the people to repair the roads. Therefore, I chose to leave my hometown during this heavy snowfall winter and travel to Russia. Traveling in the cold season is full of novelty and adventure, and I am just the kind of person who loves exploration. I went on horseback. Generally speaking, as long as the horse and rider are in good physical condition, horseback riding is one of the most comfortable ways to travel. If I had taken a postal carriage instead, I would have inevitably encountered a polite German postmaster asking me to do something for him, and the tipsy driver would have certainly dragged me into a tavern for a heavy drinking session. The only drawback was that my clothes were too thin. Therefore, the colder it got as I moved northeast, the harder it was to endure. When I reached Poland, the sky was overcast, a biting northeast wind howled, and the land was desolate. A poor old man, unclothed, was trembling with cold on the ground. In such a frigid environment, seeing such a, one can only imagine how I felt at that moment. I deeply sympathized with the poor old man, even though I was shivering with cold myself, I still took off my traveling cloak and covered it over the old man. At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the sky, praising my compassion, saying, "My child, kindness will be rewarded!" I paid no further attention and continued urging my horse onward. My old companion and I pressed forward through the snowstorm until night fell around us. I looked around but did not see a single village; I listened but heard no sound. The entire land, covered in a sea of snow, was sleeping, making it impossible to distinguish between the main road and the side paths. After the long journey, the horse was exhausted, its four legs stumbling and unsteady. I myself was also exhausted, nearly falling off the saddle. However, I could not find a place to stay overnight. This cursed place was desolate, with no village in sight. It seemed I had no choice but to sleep outdoors. I looked around but did not see a single tree, so I had no choice but to tie my horse to a sharp, small pillar standing alone in the snow. For safety, I tucked my twin pistols under my arms and lay down on the snow nearby, falling asleep. When I awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. However, I was surprised to find that I was not in the snow but lying in a village's churchyard! I was baffled: What on earth was going on? Where was I? How could so many houses appear overnight? And where was my horse? I stood there, completely confused, unable to figure out what had happened for a long time. Suddenly, a familiar neighing sound came from above my head—it was my old companion calling. I looked up abruptly—oh, my goodness! What was this? It turned out that my horse was hanging from the roof of the bell tower, tied to the cross. I immediately understood what had happened. P3-4