A gripping generational saga that takes the reader through two centuries and across two continents.

Literary fiction

The vividly written narrative begins in a remote corner of the Austro- Hungarian Empire in the mid-19th century and gradually takes us across two centuries and two continents to the recent past.

A poor tinworker’s family in the wild Kysuce mountains is supported by the widow Mária, who, on the advice of a worldly uncle, sets out on a long journey in search of a better life. Along with her two children, the barely eight-year-old Zoltán and his little sister, she heads to Aussig, now Ústí nad Labem, where a new era is dawning. The emerging railway breaks down boundaries between cities and countries, shortens distances, and brings together a mix of people from all corners of the world… And that’s just the beginning of the book, which guides the reader through decades of Zoltán’s fate and his pursuit for happiness and freedom.

Ondřej Šanc (1979) was born and raised in Ústí nad Labem, surrounded by decaying historic districts, factory walls and constant smoke. Although he studied to become an English and history teacher, he left his studies to pursue his passion for traveling. He has a deep interest in Native American culture and history. After exploring various careers, he now works as a social worker and lives on a farm in the Central Bohemian Highlands. He and his wife have carefully restored this cultural monument and now run a family organic farm there.