Frühling der Barbaren

The protagonist of this intricately crafted debut novella by Jonas Lüscher, the Swiss factory heir Preising, witnesses elaborate wedding preparations during a business trip to an upscale Tunisian oasis resort. Wealthy young Englishmen from London's financial world have gathered friends and family for a grand celebration and are already indulging in festivities when economic crisis signals escalate into catastrophe: the British pound crashes, shortly followed by England's bankruptcy, with far-reaching consequences that also affect Tunisia. Although Preising, as a Swiss, is spared the worst outcomes, he must witness how thin the veneer of civilization is, and he learns his own lesson in globalization, as his company manufactures in Tunisia. Preising is not left unscathed either. Exciting, cleverly constructed, and often humorous, with unforgettable imagery and a rich, fluid language, this book dissects human weaknesses and aims straight at the heart of the present.