Vicki Baum è stata un'autrice austriaca le cui opere sono caratterizzate da un acuto sguardo sulla natura umana e sulle dinamiche sociali. I suoi romanzi hanno spesso esplorato complessi dilemmi morali e personaggi ambigui che lottano per trovare il proprio posto in un mondo in profonda trasformazione. Lo stile di scrittura di Baum è noto per la sua vivacità e il suo potere evocativo, che attira i lettori in narrazioni avvincenti. Ha lasciato un segno indelebile nella letteratura per la sua capacità di catturare lo spirito del suo tempo, approfondendo al contempo temi intramontabili come l'amore, la perdita e la ricerca della realizzazione.
This collection focuses on republishing classic works from the early 1900s and earlier, which have become rare and costly. The editions aim to provide affordable access to these historical texts while preserving the original content and artwork, making them accessible to a new generation of readers.
The narrative explores the lives of Pak and his family during the Dutch invasion of Bali in 1906, leading to a tragic mass suicide among the Balinese royalty. It captures the resilience and spirituality of the Balinese people as they confront colonial oppression through a profound act of defiance. Richly woven with historical context, the story reflects on themes of love, sacrifice, and the quest for dignity amidst impending doom, showcasing a culture that embraces both death and rebirth.
A luxury hotel in 1920s Berlin is a microcosm of modern society in this classic that inspired a hit Broadway musical and the classic film starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and John Barrymore. “Prefigures Downtown Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs by examining multiple characters from different classes.” —Shelf Awareness The luxury Grand Hotel is a revolving door for the stray souls of 1920s Berlin. Among the guests is Doctor Otternschlag, a World War I veteran whose face has been sliced in half by a shell. Day after day he emerges to read the paper in the lobby, discreetly inquiring at the desk if the letter he’s been awaiting for years has arrived. Then there is Grusinskaya, a great ballerina now fighting a losing battle not so much against age as against her fear of it, who may or may not be made for Gaigern, a sleek professional thief. Herr Preysing also checks in, the director of a family firm that isn’t as flourishing as it appears, who would never imagine that Kringelein, his underling, a timorous petty clerk he’s bullied for years, has also come to Berlin, determined to live at last now that he’s received a medical death sentence. All these characters and more, with all their secrets and aspirations, come together and come alive in the pages of Baum’s delicious and disturbing masterpiece—a Weimar-era bestseller that retains all its verve and luster today.
Vierundzwanzig Stunden in einem Luxus-Hotel in Berlin in den letzten Tagen des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Draußen fallen Bomben, drinnen haben die Nazigrößen ihr halboffizielles Quartier eingerichtet. Aber auch andere Menschen unterschiedlichster Herkunft finden Zuflucht im Hotel, darunter eine bekannte Schauspielerin namens Lisa Dorn, eine schillernde Figur, Freundin diverser Generäle. Sie entdeckt zufällig, dass sich in ihrem Zimmer der weithin gesuchte Student Martin Richter verbirgt, der kurz vor seiner geplanten Hinrichtung aus den Fängen der Gestapo fliehen konnte. Statt ihn zu verraten, versteckt sie ihn, und während draußen die Welt untergeht, verlieben sich die beiden ineinander … Ein temporeicher Schicksalsroman, den man atemlos und mit Tränen in den Augen verschlingt.
Vicki Baums zeitlose Geschichten berichten in klaren Worten von Menschen, denen Hunger, Krieg und Tod begegnen - und die dennoch um Menschlichkeit und Würde ringen.Ein feiner, auch literarisch hochbeindruckender Erzählungsband, der wie nebenbei die zentralen Themen der Existenz verhandelt.
