In the 19th century, in the hands of such writers as Heinrich von Kleist and E. T. A. Hoffmann, the short story established itself as one of the most expressive and characteristic genres in German literature. Twentieth-century authors such as Arthur Schnitzler, Thomas Mann, and Franz Kafka continued to deepen and strengthen the tradition.Now five of the finest German short stories -- each a well-known pinnacle of the author's art -- have been specially...