Brennendes Treibeis

In the 1970s, young Fabian joins a political group whose goal is to save the world from war and fascism. In the process, previously hidden fantasies of power and masculinity are awakened in Fabian, which makes him unaware of how the group increasingly slips into a totalitarian ideology in its fight against the so-called evils of the world. "Burning Drift Ice" unfolds against the backdrop of a social atmosphere that dates back half a century, a theme that is always topical: the urgent warning against the do-gooders, know-it-alls and world saviors. The action begins in Fabian's hometown of Hamburg, which is marked by memories of war, fires and storm surges. Fabian is inflamed by the need to save the world, and at the same time, parts of his own emotional world turn to ice.

In post-reunification Poland, Fabian finally finds his way out. The events there exude an atmosphere of irony and grotesque twists and turns that undermine any simple either-or thinking and thus initiate Fabian's process of inner clarification. Underpinned by sensual images from landscapes and memories, "Brennendes Treibeis" tells a story of delusion and illumination, of the hardening and melting of souls.

Voices about Frank Hahn and Brennendes Treibeis

"Burning Drift Ice' is a successful picture: the fire of passion turns into the cold of power fantasies. Anti-fascism turns into fascism. But that is already much too striking: Frank Hahn's strength is the exact, precise observation of the most subtle - and most ghastly - human emotions. As a reader, you have to make up your own mind. I hardly know anything in recent German literature that 'got me' with such force."

- Stefan Blankertz, Wortmetz

"A book about aberrations and healing encounters, a journey through the 20th century, written in a hypnotic rhythm."

- Cécile Wajsbrot, writer-stseller

Further information

Author: Frank Hahn