C.H. Beck: “Die Schrecken der Anderen” by Martina Clavadetscher combines history, morality, and the present

C.H. Beck is one of Germany's most traditional publishing houses – for over 260 years, the name has stood for literature, science, and legal expertise. With the novel “Die Schrecken der Anderen” by Swiss author and book award winner Martina Clavadetscher, the publisher is releasing a new title that literarily links historical guilt, family responsibility, and social indifference. The work is at once a family history, a contemporary document, and a mirror of our present.

C.H. Beck – a literary voice with historical awareness

For generations, C.H. Beck has shaped the German book market with well-researched non-fiction, important legal works, and sophisticated fiction. With Clavadetscher's new novel, the publishing house is expanding its literary program with a work that combines ethical questions with narrative power. It delves deep into the repressed chapters of European history – where private heritage and historical responsibility collide.

Martina Clavadetscher tells of the legacy of a dark past

The focus is on a Swiss entrepreneurial family whose prosperity is based on a past that they would rather keep secret. A son, caught in a midlife crisis, realizes that the family legacy consists not only of economic success, but also bears traces of shady dealings. Clavadetscher takes up the historical connection between German and Swiss history and sheds light on how money flowed through Switzerland to South America during the Nazi era – capital that continues to cast a shadow to this day.

The novel shows that the past does not disappear, but continues to have an impact on family histories and social structures. With precise language and emotional depth, Clavadetscher links personal crises with collective responsibility. Her characters grapple with questions that go far beyond the private sphere: What do we really know about the foundations of our prosperity – and what would we rather not know?

Literary relevance and social impact

“Die Schrecken der Anderen” is not a classic historical novel, but a literary chamber play about memory, responsibility, and the inextricable intertwining of past and present. C.H. Beck thus has a work in its program that is both literarily sophisticated and socially necessary. The publisher thus remains true to its self-image: to publish sophisticated literature that imparts knowledge, takes a stand, and sparks debate.