This historical-critical edition provides the facsimile of the manuscript, a precise transcription and a text for reading. The text has been prepared using editorial notes and includes a literary commentary and a detailed edition report. Thus, the edition allows insight for the first time into the genesis of the work. Lieutenant Gustl is a highly innovative novella which describes the inner monologue of a lieutenant of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy, revolving around the code of honor of the army. The book is an implicit criticism of the values of the imperial Austrian military and its view of society.