For the first time in Russian, in this collection excerpts from texts and aphorisms by the German writer, composer, and photographer Hans Jürgen von der Wense (1894–1966), dubbed the «Novalis of the 20th Century» in his homeland, are published. He left behind 30,000 pages of notes and reflections on history, geography, geology, and meteorology, as well as translations from hundreds of languages, photographs, and music scores. Much of Wense's literary work was published posthumously.