Selma Mahlknecht. Schaukler

Hans is an illegitimate child, reviled in the village as a cripple and a disgrace. He has to watch as his friends go off to war, fascists and Nazi bigwigs terrorise the population, and his mother marries one of them. But Hans, who becomes a master painter, also experiences how the village gradually changes, grows and becomes more cosmopolitan. Nevertheless, even increasing prosperity cannot eliminate inequality.

‘Selma Mahlknecht describes the ups and downs of the South Tyrolean village of Naturns through a century, in the larger context of the country and Europe. The author depicts a laborious ascent, flanked by ruptures and abysses – told with sensitivity and irony, bitterness and brilliance.’

Hans Heiss, historian

Selma Mahlknecht is a writer, director and playwright who lives in Switzerland. Her novel Helena (2010) was awarded the Sir Walter Scott Prize. Her most recent publications with Raetia are the essay ‘Berg and Breakfast. Ein Panorama der touristischen Sehnsüchte und Ernüchterungen’ (2021) and the novel ‘Fö. Zernezer Feuer’ (2023).

An event with Edition Raetia.