Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter (English Edition)

The Scarlet Letter, ranked No. 16 in The Guardian's Best 100 Novels in English (2015), is Nathaniel Hawthorne's haunting masterpiece of sin, secrecy, and moral judgment.
In Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet "A" as a public mark of adultery, yet she refuses to betray the father of her child.
As years pass, the burden of hidden guilt falls upon the revered minister Arthur Dimmesdale, while Hester's wronged husband-now known as Roger Chillingworth-devotes himself to uncovering and tormenting the unknown lover.
In this powerful psychological drama, Hawthorne reveals the devastating consequences of hidden sin and the possibility of compassion beyond rigid social law.
This is the English-language paperback edition of the classic novel.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. A Romance. First published by Ticknor, Reed and Fields, Boston, 1850. The present text follows the second edition of 1850, including Hawthorne's added preface. Neuausgabe, LIWI Literatur- und Wissenschaftsverlag, Göttingen 2026.