Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque, Fiction, Horror

"Most artistic of all the continental weird tales is the German classic Undine (1814), by Friedrich Heinrich Karl, Baron de la Motte Fouqué. In this story of a water-spirit who married a mortal and gained a human soul there is a delicate fineness of craftsmanship which makes it notable in any department of literature and an easy naturalness which places it close to the genuine folk-myth." -- H.P. Lovecraft, "Supernatural Horror In Literature"

About the Author

Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué (1777 - 1843) was a German writer of the romantic style. He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in his family name. His grandfather, Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué, had been one of Frederick the Great's generals and his father was a Prussian officer. Although not originally intended for a military career, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué ultimately gave up his university studies at Halle to join the army and he took part in the Rhine campaign of 1794. The rest of his life was devoted mainly to literary pursuits. He was introduced to August Wilhelm Schlegel, who deeply influenced him as a poet and who published Fouqué's first book, Dramatische Spiele von Pellegrin, in 1804.

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