Poacher

Nominated for the German Book Prize 2022

Nominated for the Austrian Book Prize 2022

»This novel is compelling and moving, harsh yet poetic, as it observes its protagonist’s gradual descent into silence.« Der Spiegel

»The way he creates literature out of the helpless muteness that befalls his protagonists is virtuosic.« DIE ZEIT

»Kaiser-Mühlecker makes the cracks inside and outside the figures tangible.« FAZ

»His language lives from its narrative force, from the painting of concrete situations. It is anchored in literary history.« Süddeutsche Zeitung

»Kaiser-Mühlecker has once again created very quiet and simultaneously great literature. He knows how to tell feelings subliminally in a masterly way.« Goethe Institut, Holger Moos

Told with great sensitivity and authenticity, Kaiser-Mühlecker unfolds a powerful story about rural life, its archaic and precarious violence, about the meaning of family and the tender chance for love.

"I really see it as a kind of obligation to show the life I know and make it tangible for someone who is a stranger to this world." Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker

Jakob runs his parents' farm and struggles against its decline. When artist Katja volunteers as anapprentice , things seem to take a turn for the better. Together they establish an organiclivestock farm , they marry and have a son. Jakob learns what love is. But he finds no peace; his cruel anger breaks out again and again. Did Katja deceive him, did she just want to try someone like him - a farmer?
Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker writes about origin and existential feelings of loss in a world that is radically changing.