Der Unsichtbare Thron

and other stories

Each of us passes by people every day whom we hardly notice and yet who, over time, become part of our lives. Everyone meets people with whom they regularly exchange a few words, perhaps the same, insignificant ones. And sometimes, by chance, we meet someone with whom we spend two or three intense minutes or even hours before the other person disappears from our lives forever. The Austrian author Leopold Federmair, who lives in Japan, has collected, described and fantasized about such encounters over many years. Since he has lived in various countries on three continents, he has created a compendium of culturally very different characters and situations. Gathered in one volume, his prose portraits tell of changing, old and new, simultaneous forms of existence as condensed biographies and sharpened impressions. The saleswoman in the bakery, the old neighbor who lives alone, the chance acquaintance from the pub, the farm boy who brings the milk, the single neighbor with her child, the harmless village idiot, the jogger who always takes the same route at the same time of day, the bartender as king in his kingdom ... - they all come into the picture together with their small contexts and usually also have their say.

Further Information

Author Leopold Federmair