Michael Kohlhaas

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus - "Let justice be done, though the world perish"

On the banks of the Hafel, about the middle of the sixteenth century, lived a horse-dealer, named Michael Kohlhaas. He was the son of a schoolmaster, and was one of the most honest, while at the same time he was one of the most terrible persons of his period. The world might have blessed his memory had he not carried one virtue to too great an extreme. The feeling of justice made him a robber and a murderer.

Based on the real-life historical figure Hans Kohlhase, this novella is often praised for its exploration of complex moral issues and its portrayal of a man driven to extremes by a deep sense of injustice. It is also considered one of Kleist's most significant works and a classic of German literature.