Winterberg's Last Journey (Paperback)

Jaroslav Rudis

ISBN 10: 1914990242 / ISBN 13: 9781914990243

Published by Jantar Publishing Ltd, Folkestone, 2024

About this Item

Paperback. Winterberg's Last Journey follows its two main characters on an eclectic, tragicomic train journey through Central Europe - 'the beautiful landscape of battlefields, cemeteries and ruins'. When Czech nurse Jan Kraus is charged with the care of 99-year-old Wenzel Winterberg, a Sudetenland German expelled from his Bohemian homeland after the Second World War, he believes that their time together is limited. But a casual remark from Kraus one night - 'it's interesting; your name is Winterberg, and I came from Winterberg, from Vimperk in Bohemia, which used to be called Winterberg' - sparks a new life in the old man, who becomes obsessed with uncovering the fate of his lost love, Lenka Morgenstern. Kraus is then dragged along by Winterberg on a winding train journey from Berlin to Sarajevo, all the while dealing with Winterberg's regular 'historical fits'. Their only guide is Winterberg's Baedeker for Austria-Hungary from 1913 - the last edition ever issued. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781914990243

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Winterberg's Last Journey (Paperback)
• Publisher: Jantar Publishing Ltd, Folkestone
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1914990242
• ISBN 13: 9781914990243
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Winterberg’s Last Journey follows its two main characters on an eclectic, tragicomic train journey through Central Europe – ‘the beautiful landscape of battlefields, cemeteries and ruins’. When Czech nurse Jan Kraus is charged with the care of 99-year-old Wenzel Winterberg, a Sudetenland German expelled from his Bohemian homeland after the Second World War, he believes that their time together is limited. But a casual remark from Kraus one night – ‘it’s interesting; your name is Winterberg, and I came from Winterberg, from Vimperk in Bohemia, which used to be called Winterberg’ – sparks a new life in the old man, who becomes obsessed with uncovering the fate of his lost love, Lenka Morgenstern. Kraus is then dragged along by Winterberg on a winding train journey from Berlin to Sarajevo, all the while dealing with Winterberg’s regular ‘historical fits’. Their only guide is Winterberg’s Baedeker for Austria-Hungary from 1913 – the last edition ever issued.

About the Author

Jaroslav Rudiš, born in Turnov, Czechoslovakia, in 1972, is a prize-winning Czech author, playwright and dramatist. Winterberg’s Last Journey is his first book to be originally written in German. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in recognition of his cultural contribution to German-Czech relations, with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praising Winterberg’s Last Journey in particular as ‘a haunting exploration of history in the area where two World Wars began’. Rudiš studied German and history and previously worked as a teacher and journalist. His most recent books include the 2021 DER SPIEGEL bestseller Gebrauchtsanweisung fürs Zugreisen (‘A User’s Guide to Train Travel’) and the 2020 graphic novel Nachtgestalten (‘Creatures of the Night’) with Austrian illustrator Nicolas Mahler. His Czech-language works also include the cult graphic novel and animated film Alois Nebel (with illustrator Jaromír 99).

Kris is a freelance translator from German into English based in Berlin. She has a degree in Social Sciences, a Masters in Public Policy and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.