The life of Heinrich von Kleist was short but stormy. A descendant of an old noble family, a Prussian officer, he took part in campaigns against France in 1793–1797, but left the service for the sake of literary activity. His work took his contemporaries by surprise. Kleist was so obviously different from other romantics that some critics called him “the foundling of poetry.” His works reflected the confusion of his own soul and mind, the intensity of feelings; they had an atmosphere of thunder and tragedy. Kleist's heroes lived without looking back, went to the limit and died in earnest. The death of the writer himself was tragic and very strange - a double suicide with his last girlfriend. The death of Kleist, like his work, struck many... Centuries have passed, but the short stories and plays of the German writer G. von Kleist still resonate in the hearts of readers. Today it's time to reread Kleist's works.