Fiction. Translated from the German by Eugene Hayworth. Höller, a successful businessman and Schubert enthusiast, has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Without telling his wife and family about his illness, he decides to sell his business and travel to Tuscany, where he plans to organize the ultimate performance of Schubert's "Wanderer Fantasy." Höller posts a series of letters to Alfred Brendel, inviting the pianist to Italy to perform the "Fantasy." While searching for the perfect location to host the concert, Höller encounters a series of strange characters who share their bizarre stories with him, infusing the novel with a magical, darkly comic atmosphere.
Author City: Leoben AST
Günther Freitag was born in 1952 in Feldkirch, Austria. He studied history and German language and literature in Graz, and also enrolled for piano at the conservatory. He wrote plays and prose works. In 1985, he took part in the Bachmann Competition. The author has received several awards including the Forum Stadtpark Literature Prize of the city of Graz (1982); a grant from the Province of Styria (1990); and the Culture Prize of the city of Leoben (1992). He lives in Leoben, Austria.
Reviews and Other Links
Offizielle Webseite von Günther Freitag