Christian Gellert's Last Christmas From "German Tales" Published by the American Publishers' Corporation

By Berthold Auerbach

(3.5 stars) • 10 reviews

In 1768 Leipzig, a celebrated poet's final Christmas intertwines with the life of a humble woodcutter, demonstrating that even in sorrow there is room for sacrifice and thanks.

Genres

Christmas Culture/Civilization/Society Literature Fiction

Released

2007-09-18

Formats

epub (images)

mobi

epub3 (images)

mobi (images)

epub

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Summary

"Christian Gellert's Last Christmas" by Berthold Auerbach is a 19th-century story about Christian Gellert, a well-known poet and teacher, in Leipzig during Christmas of 1768. It looks at being humble, the power of giving, and how a famous person can be connected to regular people. Gellert interacts with his students and friends before Christmas while dealing with feelings of not being good enough and sadness. As he gets ready for what he believes will be his last Christmas, Christopher, a woodcutter, wants to thank Gellert for his moral teachings. Christopher helps Gellert by giving him firewood to express his thankfullness, and Gellert helps Christopher by teaching him the importance of kindness. The story ends with Gellert's death, which leaves a mark on people like Christopher, who decides to live by Gellert's values.