Das Zimthaus

by Bjarne Reuter

Die Sankt-Laurentius-Allee ist eine idyllisch gelegene Straße mit nur drei Häusern: Eines davon ist das sogenannte Zimthaus. Mit seinem exotischen Ambiente erinnert es an die Zeit als die Familie Asmussen noch einen internationalen Gewürzhandel betrieb. An einem herrlichen Frühlingstag des Jahres 1959 warten vier Kinder auf das freudige Ereignis der Geburt eines neuen Familienmitglieds: Ingeborg und Amalie, Töchter des Hauses, und die Nachbarjungen Max Denholm und Elliot Mortensen. Sie stehen im Mittelpunkt dieser heiter-melancholischen, skurril-komischen Geschichte, die das letzte Jahr einer scheinbar unbeschwerten Jugendidylle beschreibt. Als Direktor Asmussen stolz seinen Stammhalter präsentiert, bricht das alte Mauerwerk unter dem Fenster der zweiten Etage weg, und er stürzt zu Tode. Das Baby in seinen Armen überlebt. Mit diesem Paukenschlag beginnt Bjarne Reuters Roman, der zu den Meisterwerken der neuen skandinavischen Literatur gehört und von der Kritik ganz zu Recht mit den besten Werken des amerikanischen Erfolgsautors John Irving verglichen wurde.

365 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Bjarne Reuter, born 1950 in Brønshøj, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark and the setting of many of his books.
His first book was published in 1975, the same year he graduated from teacher’s college.
In 1980, Bjarne Reuter left teaching to devote full time to writing.
He is the author of some 60 books for children and young adults (see complete bibliography).
He has written several novels for adults as well. In addition, he is the author of plays, musicals,
radio and television series for children. Eight of his books have been made into films for children, a number have been serialized on television and many of them have been dramatized on the stage in Denmark, Finland and Germany as well as in countries as far from home as Japan and Argentina.

Publications:
1975 Kidnapning (children's book)
1975 Rent guld i posen (children's book)
1976 En dag i Hector Hansens liv
1976 Ridder af skraldespanden (children's book)
1976 Rottefængeren fra Hameln (children's book)
1977 Den største nar i verden (children's book)
1977 Det skøre land (children's book)
1977 Eventyret om Hu (children's book)
1977 Skønheden og uhyret (children's book)
1977 Tre engle og fem løver (children's book)
1977 Zappa, en kaldblodig hore
1978 De seks tjenere (children's book)
1978 Den utilfredse prins (children's book)
1978 Drengen der ikke kunne blive bange (children's book)
1978 Slusernes kejser
1979 Busters verden (children's book)
1979 Børnenes julekalender (children's book)
1979 Den fredag Osvald blev usynlig (children's book)
1979 Rejsen til morgenrødens hav (children's book)
1979 Støvet på en sommerfugls vinge
1980 Før det lysner (short stories)
1980 Kolumbine & Harlekin (children's book)
1980 Kys stjernerne (children's book)
1980 Suzanne & Leonard
1981 Knud, Otto og Carmen Rosita
1981 Skibene i skovene
1982 Abdulahs juveler (children's book)
1982 Det forkerte barn (short stories)
1982 Hvor regnbuen ender (children's book)
1982 Østen for solen og vesten for månen (children's book)
1983 Casanova
1983 Når snerlen blomstrer
1984 Malte-Pøs i Den Store Vide Verden (children's book)
1984 Tre skuespil (drama)
1984 Tropicana
1985 Bundhu
1985 Da solen skulle sælges (children's book)
1985 Shamran - den som kommer
1986 De andre historier (short stories)
1986 En tro kopi
1986 Natten i Safarihulen (children's book)
1987 Den dobbelte mand
1987 Drømmenes bro (children's book)
1987 Os to, Oskar... for evigt (children's book)
1987 Vendetta
1988 Den cubanske kabale
1988 Månen over Bella Bio
1989 Den skæggede dame (children's book)
1989 Peter Pan (children's book)
1989 Vi der valgte mælkevejen
1990 3 til Bermudos
1990 Mig og Albinoni
1991 Drengene fra Sankt Petri
1991 Lola
1992 7.A.
1992 En rem af huden
1992 Kaptajn Bimse & Goggeletten (children's book)
1993 Den korsikanske bisp
1993 Johnny & The Hurricanes
1994 Anna Havanna (children's book)
1995 Langebro med løbende figurer
1996 Anna Havanna, Kaptajn Bimse og alle de andre (children's book)
1996 Ved profetens skæg
1997 Fakiren fra Bilbao
1998 En som Hodder (children's book)
1998 Mikado
1999 Mordet på Leon Culman
1999 Under kometens hale
1999 Willys fars bil (children's book)
2000 Prins Faisals ring; "The Ring of the Slave Prince", English translation by Tiina Nunnally (2004)
2002 Barolo Kvartetten
2002 Kaptajn Bimse i Saltimbocca (children's book)
2003 Kaptajn Bimses jul (children's book)
2004 Løgnhalsen fra Umbrien
2006 Halvvejen til Rafael(Novel)
2007 Skyggernes hus
2008 [Fem]
2008 Den iranske gartner
2010 Den egyptiske tenor

Reviews

[Karen Paramio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you still see the world through the eyes of a child? Do you like "The little prince" and "Frederick"? This could be a good book for you, then this house is like a ship and will take you on a trip to Elliot's childhood, to Denmark at the end of the 1950's, to the Kings in the moor and the ghost train, but also to Africa with grandpa Winston Alf Asmussen, to the pyramids and to Persia.