Gerhard Roth Libri

The story follows Lilli Kuck as she travels to Venice after her husband's mysterious death, delving into his notebook and retracing his last days. As she uncovers hidden secrets about her late husband, Lilli confronts her own understanding of their relationship. Her investigation takes a dark turn when she witnesses a murder and finds herself in danger. Ultimately, this journey not only seeks answers about her husband's life but also leads Lilli to a deeper exploration of her own identity and the complexities of existence.

In The Plan, Gerhard Roth’s main character, Konrad Feldt, is not properly a criminal – his supervisor privately hands him a stolen Mozart autograph along with the name of an art dealer prepared to purchase it, before he commits suicide in Feldt’s presence; however, Feldt is indirectly complicit in the crime by not reporting it and by not surrendering the costly artifact. He takes the autograph and travels around the world to Japan in hopes of exchanging the invaluable autograph for a million dollars. For Feldt, a middle-aged, middle-class civil servant, a librarian in Vienna’s Nationalbibliothek addicted to reading, this prize represents a fleeting opportunity to alter his structured, hollow existence. But our educated European finds himself in an unfamiliar environment – the inscrutable language and culture of Japan – where his perceptions and thus his rational “plan” for wealth and a new life are jeopardized. (from publisher's website)

The story follows Emil Lanz, an Austrian translator in Venice, who faces a mid-life crisis that leads to a suicide attempt, interrupted by witnessing a murder. As mobsters target him, he fights back, altering his life dramatically. With the help of an eccentric billionaire, Emil grapples with his new reality, questioning whether he has entered a different dimension, an afterlife, or if he is merely insane. The narrative explores themes of survival, identity, and the nature of reality in the face of chaos.

A retired opera prompter finds himself ensnared in a web of intrigue when he travels to Venice for the holidays, only to discover his brother and sister-in-law missing. While attempting to write a travel guide, he faces threats and violence, leading to a chilling package containing their severed hands. As he delves deeper into the mystery, Aldrian becomes an unwilling participant in a deadly game, navigating the flooded city and confronting his own sanity amidst the chaos.

We all know what a voluntary action is - we all think we know when an action is voluntary, and when it is not. Yet, performing an action and defining it are different matters. What counts as an action? When does it begin? Does the conscious desire to perform an action always precede the act? If not, is it really a voluntary action? This is a debate that crosses the boundaries of philosophy, neuroscience, psychology and social science. This book brings together some of the leading thinkers from these disciplines to consider this deep and often puzzling topic. The result is a fascinating and stimulating debate that will challenge our fundamental assumptions about our sense of free-will.

Ein achtunddreißigjähriger Buchhändler aus Wien, verheiratet und unsicher, wird von seiner Frau manchmal gehasst. Nach der Scheidung flieht Daniel Haid nach Amerika, um der Einsamkeit und seinen Erinnerungen zu entkommen. In San Francisco beginnt seine verzweifelte Suche nach Identität im Chaos von Sicherheit, Reichtum, Armut und Gewalt. Sucht nach Erfahrungen treibt ihn in die Schrecken der amerikanischen Realität, wo er das Leid und die Lust der Verzweifelten um ihn herum wie ein Schlafwandler wahrnimmt. Um sich zu schützen, schlüpft er in fremde Rollen, besonders die des Detektivs Philipp Marlowe, der immer weiß, was zu tun ist. Doch diese Rolle zieht ihn in einen Kriminalfall und einen Mordverdacht hinein. In Panik flieht er nach Los Angeles, verfolgt von Erinnerungen, und reist weiter nach Las Vegas und New York. Unter dem Druck von Angst und Bedrohung wandelt sich sein Realitätsempfinden in eine selbsterfüllte Wahrnehmung. Ein starkes Gefühl der Liebe überwindet schließlich seinen langen Traum. Der Autor schafft einen modernen Entwicklungsroman, in dem die innere Spannung durch die äußeren Elemente der Kriminalgeschichte vorangetrieben wird. Die Verbindung von Poesie und Realität, die der Protagonist schätzt, spiegelt sich in seiner Selbstfindung im Chaos einer entfremdeten Welt wider.