The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler
About the Book
When seventeen-year-old Franz leaves his rural home to take a job as a Viennese tobacconist’s apprentice, his initial homesickness soon fades amidst the fascination of the city. Among the shop’s regular customers is a Professor Freud, whose predilection for cigars and occasional willingness to dispense romantic advice will forge a bond between him and the young Franz.
It is 1937. In a matter of months, Germany will annex Austria and the storm that has been threatening to engulf the little tobacconist will descend, leaving the lives of Franz, his employer and Professor Freud entirely changed.
Told with the same delicacy and restraint that marked his acclaimed A Whole Life, Robert Seethaler’s The Tobacconist is a deeply moving story of ordinary lives profoundly affected by the Third Reich.
About the Author
Robert Seethaler was born in Vienna and divides his time between his home town and Berlin. He is the author of five novels, including the acclaimed A Whole Life, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. Robert Seethaler also works as an actor, most recently in Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth.
