The upshot was that after the Thirty Years’ War there was serious underpopulation in the valley, workers were in short supply, and messages were sent to the expellees asking them to please come back. Not a single one did.
And thus the land turned into a barren wilderness.
It is important to emphasize that outbreaks of xenophobia like those described in this novel were and are still possible everywhere, not just in the Ammer Valley. History repeats itself, and it appears that we rarely learn the lessons of the past. Perhaps interest in my novel will provide not just excitement and entertainment but an opportunity to rethink some of this.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OLIVER PÖTZSCH, BORN IN 1970, has worked for years as a scriptwriter for Bavarian television. He is a descendant of one of Bavaria’s leading dynasties of executioners. Pötzsch lives in Munich with his family.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
LEE CHADEAYNE, TRANSLATOR, IS A former classical musician and college professor. He was one of the charter members of the American Literary Translators Association and is editor in chief of the ALTA Newsletter.
Oliver Pötzsch, The Play of Death
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