Cofrecillo de joyas

Since its publication as a book in 1811, the pieces in J.P. Hebel's Jewel Box, originally written by its author for the Lutheran almanac of Baden, have continued to inspire enthusiasm and fascination in readers for two centuries. From Goethe to Tolstoy in the 19th century, and from Brecht and Benjamin to Wittgenstein, Hesse, and Canetti in the 20th, all have acknowledged their debt of admiration and gratitude. Kafka, who often carried a copy of the book in his pocket, considered one of its "jewels," entitled "Unexpected Reunion," "the most wonderful story in the world". Moral tales, historical accounts, bloody chronicles, ghost stories, fables of cunning and wit alongside useful advice, mathematical problems, and articles on recreational science about stars, animals, and plants are offered daily to the reader for their delight and instruction, and together they constitute one of the pinnacles of literature born with a popular vocation. A spontaneous yet sharp prose and a rationalist yet imaginative spirit come together in a work where it is difficult to say whether its humor, or its almost divine generosity, is more delightful and extraordinary.