»an extremely gripping, profound novel about war, about nature and human destiny« – Norbert Scheuer’s WINTER BEES is out in Denmark!

Right after publication in Danish translation, WINTER BEES (C.H.Beck) by Norbert Scheuer already received a raving review in Information!

January 1944: Bee-keeper Egidius Arimond is lucky to not have been killed by the Nazis as “unwertes Leben/worthless life”, he suffers heavily from epilepsy seizures which leave his body exhausted and more and more shattered every week. To pay for the lifesaving medicine he hides Jews and political refugees who arrive at his home with heart-breaking traumas and helps them across the border by hiding them in his beehives. The bees protect these people and will give them a shot at surviving this armageddon. But as the allies get closer and closer to the German troops on the other side of the village, cutting supply lines for food and medicine, Egidius’ chances to survive the next epilepsy seizure seem minimal. While the dawn of freedom and peace lurks at the horizon, days darken for our hero and the men who risked his life for the lives of others. 

  • a bestselling novel
  • rights sold to the Netherlands, France, Czech Republic, Denmark, Turkey (under negotiation)
  • shortlisted for the German Book Award 2019
  • raving reviews in Germany as well as abroad !

»Norbert Scheuer’s characters cannot escape their origins, each of their stories is worth telling.« (FAZ)

»One of the wisest and most subtle story-tellers in the country.« Kultur Spiegel

»A book full of light sentences that contain all the weight of life: hope, fear, lust.« (Stern)

»In ‚Winter Bees‘, [Norbert Scheuer’s] art shows its relaxed mastery.« (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

»With elegance and sensitivity, [Scheuer] avoids siphoning off the primary stimuli of terror […] a great read.« (Deutschlandfunk)

»With ‚Winterbienen‘ Norbert Scheuer has written a surprisingly sensual and at the same time intellectually convincing memoir novel about the final phase of the Second World War in the German province. […] Norbert Scheuer has created a character that is so convincing, especially in its ambivalence, that you won’t forget for a moment.« (taz)

»Yet his books, as if by the way, subtly tell of social and political developments, in a language that is precise and clear, light and easy to read on the surface, but very poetic underneath, without referring to any particular events of a time.« (Tagesspiegel)

»A wonderful book about the scent of women, the scent of honey, and the fate of a man who, like winter bees, protects the survival of his own kind.« (Kölnische Rundschau)

»A novel with a great resonance space, rich in recurring motifs, whose variations sound sometimes brighter and sometimes darker […] fascinating literature.« (Frankfurter Rundschau)

»The parable almost makes history appear like a fairy tale.« (Westdeutsche Allgemeine)