. “Finally again,” said a visitor to the bookseller Katrin Schmidt, who, after a long hiatus from the epidemic, was invited to a reading in his library in Kirsartan. Ralph Dorweiler from Bad Pirmont presented his fifth historical novel, “The Queen’s Watch Makers”, taking an audience of 30 back to the early 19th century. As in his “The Pact of the Rafters” (2017), “The Secret of the Glassblowers” (2018), “The Song of the Bees” (2019), and “The Gift of the Saddler” (2020). His story takes place in the Black Forest. In his latest novel, the author draws a line to England as well.

It’s not a coincidence. “The watchmakers from the Upper Black Forest had business connections all over Europe, but they sold their watches to England, especially in London,” said Ralph H. Schmidt. Doorwhailer reported on his research. After studying in Cologne, he worked for a long time as the editor of the Badishe Zeitung in the South Black Forest and spent a lot of time in his former hometown, especially in St. Morgan, a theater, film and television scientist. Preparations for his new novel. “The museum there, with an extensive collection of historical clocks from the area and the knowledge of the museum staff, gave me insights into the watchmaking business in the Upper Black Forest,” the 49-year-old said.

In the first reading sample he took visitors to the Black Forest Fallerhof. A farmer lives there with his family and, like many of his colleagues, makes watches in the dark of winter to earn extra income. Neighbors arrived that evening as the farmer’s wife was giving birth. Will the newborn survive? The mood in the parlor is depressing. But the redemption wimper of a new family member who was later baptized as Ernest. The main character in the novel is born.

“Historical novels in particular must adapt as much as possible to historical reality,” said Ralph H. Dorweiler said he first published several crime novels about the Test thief Schleicher before switching to the historical category. He had a rough idea of ​​where the history of watchmakers was heading. But that changed after he visited St. Morgan and other museums in the Black Forest. “It was also important for me to make contact with Queen Victoria, who escaped a premeditated assassination.” The author then spoke extensively about the Queen who ruled the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901. A short quiz with two audiences not only simplified the reading but also provided a lot of interesting information about the time. In the middle of the 19th century.

In two sample readings, Dorweiler provided brief insights into his watchmaking history. Ernest is now nine years old, a quiet boy with a gift for making a watch. Another story is about a girl who makes every effort to help her sick mother and becomes a babysitter in court. “No further disclosure,” the author said. Those who are interested should find out for themselves how the story progresses.