Set in the Age of Goethe, this exquisitely written short novel is a fictional account of the life of the Romantic poet Novalis (here called 'Fritz'). It's a spare, illuminating portrait of the daily drudgeries, petty formalities, and especially the romantic frustrations of a man who's ahead of his time. It also paints a vivid picture of German intellectual and mercantile life in the late 1700s.  (GER21, $13.00)