Inventors, dreamers and a world on the brink. The compelling new novel from bestselling author Sandra Lüpkes about the ground-breaking invention of the Leica camera.
Wetzlar, Optical Works, development department, 1914: inventor Oskar Barnack makes a breakthrough. Instead of going on photo safari with a heavy plate camera, the precision engineer develops a handy device that can fit into a jacket pocket. Ernst Leitz, the son of the company’s founder, sees the potential in this invention, and presses ahead with the production of the Leica against all the odds. The next generation is already champing at the bit: daughter Elsie has the ability to take over the company, but her brothers are given preference over her. When the Nazis threaten to expropriate the Leitz plant, Elsie defies this injustice – and falls into the clutches of the Gestapo. Siblings Dana and Milan are also faced with ruin: as the children of a Jewish shopkeeper, they are not allowed to go to university, and their family’s shop “House of Presents” is looted. But the now world-famous Leica opens up new opportunities for them …
Bestselling author Sandra Lüpkes travels back to a time of bold visions and bitter disappointments, when truth and lies became a question of perspective. The invention of the Leica camera takes the world by storm and shapes the lives of two families who are willing to risk everything.
“Rich in detail and knowledge … fast-paced, with well-drawn characters and flowing dialogue.” Mare about Die Schule am Meer
“Exciting and incredibly well researched … An interesting and multifaceted novel.” NDR Info
