Zimní včely – Scheuer Norbert (2024)

Egidus Arimond is a solitary beekeeper and former high school teacher from a small German town near the Belgian border. His fate during World War II is chronicled through diary entries he keeps from January 1944 to May 1945. Beekeeping has been a long-standing tradition in the Arimond family, and for Egidius, it also represents his main source of livelihood in the last months of the war. Alongside the quiet buzzing of bees, he increasingly hears the roar of enemy bombing planes. ***** In addition to his passion for bees and beautiful women, Egidius has inherited epilepsy from his ancestors, a condition that has recurred throughout his family history. In Nazi Germany, this illness is a stigma that leads to his suspension from teaching and forced sterilization. As one of the few men not called to the front, he takes advantage of the situation and indulges his weakness for women. However, he harbors an even more dangerous secret: he uses his excellent knowledge of the rugged terrain in the border region to help persecuted Jews escape to Belgium in his own unconventional way. ***** Norbert Scheuer has managed to create an exceptional and acclaimed anti-war novel that is rich in tension, romantic drama, and the delicate poetry of nature.