Židovské varhany / Opožděné slasti

Tormented by faith, controlled by money

Two newly translated novels by Ludwig Winder, published by Česká knižnice to highlight the work of important Czech authors writing in German, speak to the urgent issues of today – loss of identity, feelings of alienation, mechanisms of power and manipulation – with the contemporary aesthetic of expressionist anguish and new objectivity. The coming-of-age novel Die jüdische Orgel (The Jewish Organ, 1922, translated and annotated by Ingeborg Fialová-Fürstová) deals with man's age-old struggle to resist authority. Albert Wolf rejects unconditional obedience to his father and the God of his ancestors. His attempts to break through his suppressed desires, rid himself of doubts and self-torment are replaced by the realization that his own exclusivity is both a curse and a blessing. The political novel Die nachgeholten Freuden (1927, translated and annotated by Jan Budňák) reveals the power of money and the fragility of values in the post-war period of economic crisis and moral upheaval. Every attempt to make up for lost opportunities in life can then become a substitute for unfulfilled dreams and a callous calculation to control and blackmail others. What to do when the supposed material good in the hands of Adam Dupič becomes an instrument for evil?