Like a modern fairytale the novel begins with a chance encounter between a dwarf and a queen on a seemingly enchanted island. A mere eight weeks after this encounter on Peacock Island, on 19 July 1810, the young Queen Luise dies – and Christian and his sister Marie, both of short stature, must live with the memory of the queen’s horrified exclamation: “Monster!”
The Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) in the Havel is an artificial paradise. In his opulent, knowledgeable and touching novel, Thomas Hettche tells the story of its blossoming, maturity and decline from the perspective of the petite châtelaine Marie, whose life mirrors a condensed history of an entire century. She grows up between the wars of liberation and restoration, between palm house and menagerie, landscape art and philosophical discussions, and the royal family she assists.
Thomas Hettche tells of the order of nature, the dignity of man, the nature of time and the sensibility of the soul and the body by focusing on the design of this “Prussian Arcadia” by landscape artist Lenné. In rich and sensual language, he evokes palm trees, kangaroos and lions, court gardeners, princes, South Sea islanders, giants and dwarves.Through his historically established characters, Thomas Hettche also talks about us, living in the here and now, and of love and its many manifestations.
