Deutsch dla średnio zaawansowanych

Maciej Hen

The protagonist of the novel, Marek, is a Warsaw-based visual artist who has been divorced three times and is now completely broke and out of creative ideas. One day he learns that he has inherited a large estate in Bukowina. He can take over his inheritance only on one condition: he must meet and come to an agreement with his childhood friend, Szczepek. A major problem is that Szczepek is currently living in Mexico, and an even greater problem is that Szczepek is intent on committing suicide. Marek manages to persuade his friend to hold off on his decision and allow him to deal with the inheritance on his behalf. He follows in the footsteps of their common ancestors – through Ukraine to Romania, learning a great deal of surprising information about his origins. All roads lead to the first­owner of the inherited property – the leader of the Galician Peasant Uprising in 1846, Jakub Szela. Deutsch for the Intermediate Learners is a novel about searching for roots, lost meaning and creative skills. On the one hand, the story it tells is ironic and full of mockery, but on the other hand it is not devoid of kindness towards contemporary Poles – the descendants of noblemen, peasants and Jewish townsmen.

“Every character tears open a sack of anecdotes, the curiosities and historical paradoxes pile up. Here we see Maciej Hen’s class as a writer, never boring, weaving a dynamic story, making it so we devour Deutsch…, without pausing for a cup of tea”.

Dariusz Nowacki, Książki. Magazyn do czytania

“Hen’s book is the gripping tale of a lonely man - lonely, but not old, reconciled to his fate, but still fighting for his family and his dignity. I have not come across such a beautiful story of aging since Olga Tokarczuk last collection of stories, but Hen also brings in a brilliant sense of humor”.

Aleksander Hudzik, Newsweek

Release date: 2019
Pages: 544
ISBN: 978-83-08-06878-6


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Deutsch for the Intermediate Learners

Maciej Hen

The protagonist of the novel, Marek, is a Warsaw-based visual artist who has been divorced three times and is now completely broke and out of creative ideas. One day he learns that he has inherited a large estate in Bukowina. He can take over his inheritance only on one condition: he must meet and come to an agreement with his childhood friend, Szczepek. A major problem is that Szczepek is currently living in Mexico, and an even greater problem is that Szczepek is intent on committing suicide. Marek manages to persuade his friend to hold off on his decision and allow him to deal with the inheritance on his behalf. He follows in the footsteps of their common ancestors – through Ukraine to Romania, learning a great deal of surprising information about his origins. All roads lead to the first­owner of the inherited property – the leader of the Galician Peasant Uprising in 1846, Jakub Szela. Deutsch for the Intermediate Learners is a novel about searching for roots, lost meaning and creative skills. On the one hand, the story it tells is ironic and full of mockery, but on the other hand it is not devoid of kindness towards contemporary Poles – the descendants of noblemen, peasants and Jewish townsmen.

“Every character tears open a sack of anecdotes, the curiosities and historical paradoxes pile up. Here we see Maciej Hen’s class as a writer, never boring, weaving a dynamic story, making it so we devour Deutsch…, without pausing for a cup of tea”.

Dariusz Nowacki, Książki. Magazyn do czytania

“Hen’s book is the gripping tale of a lonely man - lonely, but not old, reconciled to his fate, but still fighting for his family and his dignity. I have not come across such a beautiful story of aging since Olga Tokarczuk last collection of stories, but Hen also brings in a brilliant sense of humor”.

Aleksander Hudzik, Newsweek

Release date: 2019
Pages: 544
ISBN: 978-83-08-06878-6


Other covers