Although Adelbert von Chamisso created world literature with his Peter Schlemihl narrative and is a canonised author in literary studies, many parts of his prolific work are still under-researched. As yet little of his estate, which has been in the possession of the Berlin State Library since 1937, has been evaluated. The contributions to this anthology can be seen as an endeavour to give a new impetus to Chamisso research. Written from the perspectives of literary studies, linguistics, musicologists and scientific history, the contributors seek to reveal hitherto neglected aspects of Chamisso's multifaceted work as an ethnologist and zoologist, travel writer and poet, editor and correspondent. They focus on Chamisso's networking with the literary and scientific communities of his time and on the broad field of intertextual, intermedial and intercultural references in his texts.

Dr. Marie-Theres Federhofer studierte Philosophie und Allgemeine und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft in Berlin und Paris. Sie ist Professorin für deutsche Literaturwissenschaft an der Universität Tromsø (Norwegen).

Mit einem Vorwort von Volker Hoffmann