Читать книгу The Saint and her Fool - Cihlar & Egeler - Страница 2

Titel Seite

Agnes Günther

The Saint and her Fool

A mystical tale of boundless love

To all the women who know the secret of serenity, courage and wisdom. Especially dedicated to our beloved mothers – teaching us the true meaning of these words through their unconditional love.

And to Heide Ruopp – our inspiration and guide, who kept us going throughout the years.

***

Bibliographic information published by the National Library: The German National Library lists this publication in the detailed national bibliographic data, available online at http://dnb.d-nb.de

The Saint and her Fool – Written by Agnes Günther: Original Edition (Erstausgabe) 1913

English Translation: Adelheid Cihlar, Sabine Egeler

Translation copyright © 2016: Adelheid Cihlar, Sabine Egeler

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form.

For more information:

www.maeuslegeschichten.de (Cihlar)

www.4ma-egeler.de (Egeler)

***

The unique success story of a novel

The overwhelming triumph of Agnes Günther’s German novel

"Die Heilige und ihr Narr"

is a tale in itself.

In the whirlwind time we live in, bestsellers are often short-lived. This was not the result of the German success novel "The Saint and her Fool", which can still be purchased today in the 145^th edition. It was the only novel by Agnes Günther, published two years after her death. Her inspiration came from her surroundings; descriptions of the castle locations in the book were within her reach and she often wandered the paths written in the book. Though the story is well-known as trivial literature, it captures the emotional mystic of perpetual love; a sentiment that is now often regarded as a fairy tale.

The first edition was released in May of 1913 and the book quickly conquered the hearts of the public. The mainly female reading audience in postwar Germany was captivated by the story of Princess Rosemarie, a tenderhearted young woman with an infinite force of mystical spirit, and her unwavering love for the handsome but impoverished “Earl of Ruins”, Harro von Thorstein. The novel reached sensational sales figures from the beginning.

The number of printed copies in German exceeded the million mark, as was the story filmed three times in 1928, 1935 and 1957 and has been translated into eleven other languages, but never into English.

After three generations, this task has been taken on by the author Adelheid Cihlar (born in Montreal, Canada) and translator Sabine Egeler (born amidst in locations in the book, in Crailsheim, Hohenlohe).

Our wish is to make this extraordinary text accessible in English, for lovers of fine literature. Step with us into the “old-world” of royalty, treachery and forgiveness, and -above all- the passion of undying love.

Slip under the mystical Veil of Gisela with us.

*************************************************************************************

Preface by Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

“A unique book" - this is how the 1913 published German novel "Die Heilige und ihr Narr” by Agnes Günther (1863-1911) has been described. Still being in print today with the 145th edition and, so far, translated into eleven languages, indeed proves the exceptional success of this novel.

The author lived in Langenburg from 1891-1906, as the wife of the local pastor, where she wrote her first and only novel, inspired by the charm of the countryside and castles.

Adelheid Cihlar and Sabine Egeler, now present this exceptional novel in English – a task that has been long overdue.

Agnes Günther has aptly described our homeland Hohenlohe in all its beauty. The surroundings emphasize this tale of spiritual passion and allow the readers a glimpse into the fictional lives of a 19 ^th century aristocratic family.