Readers will be more familiar with other works by Dumas, such as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, so this little novella is often overlooked. Translated for the first time in 2023, it’s worth a few hours of anyone’s time.
Opening the book with a brief biography of Dumas to give the reader context, we then dive into the fairytale within a tale.
The story comes as a tale told by a traveller chatting with a fellow passenger on a steamer down the Rhine, telling him a story about a castle they are passing. Count Osmond and his wife Countess Berthe rebuild Wittsgaw Castle after it had fallen into ruin. The most notable traits of the Countess were her kindness and compassion. Always with a kind word and alms for the needy, the Count and Countess were beloved. And not just by the people living under their rule. For the castle was home to a colony of dwarves – the Cobolts. They loved and protected the castle, and rewarded good owners with their protection and support. As a thank you for their help in restoring the castle, and their ongoing protection, the countess decreed that every year, everyone was invited to partake of a meal, including a honey porridge.
The tale follows the story of the castle, as it is passed down through generations and conquered by opposing forces. Many of these did not follow the decree and did not see why they should be providing food to those that should be providing for their lords. Successive owners were incompetent or mean or cruel, and paid the price for their misdeeds, until a new owner is found that could restore kindness.
In a world that feels so mean sometimes, it’s takes a novella from 1847 to see kindness be rewarded.
The translation is excellent, keeping the conversational tone of the writing, and the book is beautifully narrated by Jason Don. Listening to the audiobook took me back to being read to as a child again – we’re never too old for a truly delightful fairy tale.
The Porridge of Countess Berthe is available from Cybirdy Publishing.
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