"Moonbeam Alley" (german: Die Mondscheingasse) is a
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
by Austrian author
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig (; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular write ...
, first published in 1922.
In the short story, as in ''
Amok'', Zweig brings the
altruistic
Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core asp ...
concerns of the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
into the forefront.
Plot
The narrator is a young German landed in a French port. He misses the train to Germany, as the ship docks at a late hour. Thus, he has to spend a night in a city that is a stranger to him. Walking in the streets of the small city at night, he hears a woman singing
Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
's ''
Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...
''. Hearing his mother tongue in a French city attracts the young man and he follows the voice to find its source. Eventually, he finds what he is looking for: the voice is from a small bar-like brothel. When he attempts to get in, he suddenly sees a strange man peeking inside. As soon as the man sees him, he runs away. The narrator walks in and sits at one of the tables. It is midnight and he is the only guest at the bar. A fleshy, exhausted prostitute comes to him and orders alcohol with her German accent. The young man is uncomfortable with the bar's sultry atmosphere and the lackadaisical, tired prostitute – he decides to leave. But suddenly, the prostitute comes to life and bursts into laughter by looking at the door – the man who ran away is there again. The prostitute humiliates the man and tries to make him jealous by snuggling the narrator. The narrator feels sorry for the man and can't stand the prostitute's ruthlessness and therefore decides to leave. Walking in the labyrinthine alleys in the moonlight and trying to find his hotel, he suddenly hears a man offering help – it is the man at the bar. While walking together to the narrator's hotel, the strange man begins speaking swiftly. He says that the prostitute is his wife and due to his selfishness, she has left him and that he spent all of his wealth by running after her. The man asks the narrator to talk to his wife to make her return to him. The narrator is stumped and does not respond to any of his requests. The strange man continues talking and says that he can not stand seeing her with other men and that he will not leave her there ''alive'' – he talks about the knife he bought that day. The next day, the narrator tries to find the bar but the alleys look quite unfamiliar to him in the daylight. But when he goes by moonlight from his hotel to the night train, he suddenly notices the alley where the bar in. The man is, again, in front of the bar. When the man sees the narrator, he beckons to him. This makes the narrator worry and since he is about to miss the night train, he leaves the bar and the alley mercurially. At the last moment, the narrator hesitates as the man, with something silvery in his hands, determinedly enters the bar.
Adaptations
*
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
: ''La Ruelle au clair de lune'' (TV film), by
Édouard Molinaro
Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Biography
He was born in Bordeaux, Gironde.
He is best known for his comedies with Louis de Funès (''Oscar'', ''Hibernatus''), '' My Uncle Benja ...
, with
Michel Piccoli
Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli (27 December 1925 – 12 May 2020) was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide vari ...
,
Marthe Keller
Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress and opera director. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film '' Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Career
Early years
Keller studied ba ...
See also
*
1922 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1922.
Under modern copyright law of the United States, all works published before January 1, 1923, with a proper copyright notice entered the public domain in the U ...
*
Austrian literature
Austrian literature () is mostly written in German, and is closely connected with German literature.
Origin and background
From the 19th century onward, Austria was the home of novelists and short-story writers, including Adalbert Stifter, ...
References
{{Stefan Zweig
1922 short stories
Short stories by Stefan Zweig
Short stories adapted into films