Novels.

Well, the first one…

The Decision (Haus Publishing 2015)

In her debut novel Britta Böhler recounts three crucial days in the life of German writer Thomas Mann. The book was first published in 2013 and has been translated into eight languages.

Based on true events, the novel follows Thomas Mann during three days in January 1936. Away from home, exiled in Switzerland and fearing arrest on his return to Germany, Mann is confronted with the decision of whether or not to publicly denounce the Nazi regime. Mann is tortured by doubt: his publisher in Germany, a Jew, will be furious with the unwelcome attention drawn to his publishing house. And wouldn’t a public letter against the regime mean that he is abandoning his loyal readers in Germany?

The novel shows Mann as a human soul, trapped in a historical setting that forces him to make a seemingly impossible choice.

Praise for The Decision (selection):

TLS

New York Journal of Books

La Repubblica

Elle

La Croix

In other languages:

The Netherlands: De beslissing (Uitgeverij Cossee 2013)

Germany: Der Brief des Zauberers (Aufbau Verlag 2014)

France: La décision (Edition Stock 2014)

Italy: La decisione (Guanda 2016)

Israelשם הספר בלועזית   (Sifriat Poalim 2015)

Denmark: Besluitningen (Turbine Forlaget 2015)

Turkey: forthcoming (Aylak Adam)

Dutch non fiction books and essays.

Essay

De goede advocaat

(The Good Lawyer)

Uitgeverij Cossee  2017

An essay about the ethics of being a lawyer.

Non fiction

De crisis in de rechtsstaat

(The Rule of Law in Crisis)

Arbeiderspers 2004

Real cases and the importance of upholding the rule of law.

Non fiction

De zwerftocht van een leider

(The Odyssey of a Leader)

Arbeiderspers 2000

Behind the scenes of the Abdullah Öcalan-case.

Work in progress: the second novel.

Working title: Among the Missing

Elias Anderson has worked in art recovery for more than twenty years, first as a lawyer and now as a university professor. When he meets flamboyant and ambitious Tony Barbas – who claims to have discovered a long lost, famous painting – Elias is faced with the biggest challenge of his career, and of his life. And then there is this persistent rumor that all over the country, more and more people are vanishing.

No, this is not a crime novel, even though the book is set in the US, just before the last presidential elections…