Ferdinand Raimund's Der Verschwender (The Spendthrift) is a classic Viennese play that mixes comedy, fantasy, and a serious moral question.

The Story

Julius Flottwell is incredibly wealthy and incredibly generous—or maybe just incredibly careless. He funds his friends' lavish lives without a second thought. A magical fairy, Cheristane, who once saved his life, watches over him and tries to warn him, but Julius won't listen. The plot shows his dizzying fall from the top. One by one, his fair-weather friends vanish as his fortune dries up. He ends up a beggar, completely alone, forced to see the world and himself with new, painfully clear eyes.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me was how the story isn't really about money. It's about value. What do we value in others, and what makes us valuable? Julius has to lose everything to find his own worth. The characters around him are hilariously awful, scrambling to keep their free ride going. Raimund writes with a light touch, even when things get bleak, and the magical elements add a charming, folk-tale quality that keeps it from feeling like a lecture.

Final Verdict

This is a great pick if you enjoy classic plays with heart, or stories about personal transformation. It's perfect for readers who like timeless fables, or anyone who's curious about the stage works that shaped European theatre. Don't let the 1830s publication date scare you—the dilemma at its core is absolutely current.