Austrian journalist Peter Sichrovsky releases his first book, “Verklempt,” to be translated into English. Known for his interview based books, “Strangers in Their Own Land: Young Jews in Germany and Austria Today,” “Born Guilty: Children of Nazi Families” and “Incurably German,” Sichrovsky delivers eleven unexpected love stories where love is a bitter pill, a joke, a missed chance at happiness, a secret, a ghost, or a longing to be with a person one cannot even remember.
Sichrovsky chose the title of his book, Verklempt, from the Yiddish Slang dictionary meaning, “choked with emotion” which also factors strongly into Jewish history. “Behind every story in Verklempt is a real person,” said Sichrovsky. “The stories reflect hopes, fears and indifference in a post-Holocaust world.”
Darkly humorous, disturbing, and yet deeply touching, some of the stories include:
Prague — An adolescent Jewish boy struggles when his Communist parents renounce their affiliations upon Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, just as he’s about to land a date at the local Communist club.
Sirens — A young couple in Israel — he’s a native Brooklynite, she’s an Israeli-born doctor — struggle to keep their marriage and family together under Saddam Hussein’s latest rocket attack.
The Love Schnorrer — A hapless, depressed man leaves his wife and children to secretly emigrate with a Jewish partner he’s just met.
Coffin Birth — The wealthy businessman and Holocaust survivor Herr Bernstein is only able to reconcile his seventieth birthday by insisting that he will have an heir — by any means necessary.
Onju — A man seeks guidance from a Rabbi when his grandchild’s life is tainted by his sins of the past.
Berlin, Holiday, and Pig’s Blood have autobiographical elements and include the flavor of Sichrovsky’s trademark interviews and interrogations, giving readers a glimpse into his iconoclastic personality.
“Not so different from the monologues in my interview-based books,” explained Sichrovsky, “each of my short stories is based on an episode, adventure, or encounter I’ve either experienced or overheard. The difference between fact and fiction is often not so clear. What matters is the story and sharing it with others so that history lives on in present times.”
Sichrovksy is an international best-selling author of over 18 books.
