Dimitré Dinev & Wladigeroff Brothers

A time of the brave had begun, for one had to be brave everywhere: on the streets, in parks, on playgrounds, in public transport, during the day, but especially when the sun went down. When the maid Eva wants to end her life in the Danube on the eve of World War I, she is instead swept into the arms of the young infantry lieutenant Alois Kozusnik. Instead of her life, she loses her innocence. This marks the starting point of an epic story composed of three major narrative threads that extends into the present day. What makes a person? How does one endure and survive years of oppression and violence? How does one continually find strength, hope, and love?

In his new grand novel, Dimitré Dinev explores the history of Europe and the central questions of human coexistence, creating a literary masterpiece of humanism and empathy. Over more than 1,000 pages, the author delves into the history of Europe and immerses himself in the lives of four generations of a family between Austria and Bulgaria.

Dimitré Dinev spent 13 years writing his opus magnum, and more than once during this time he doubted whether he would be able to complete his project. Shortly after its release, the novel was awarded the Austrian Book Prize 2025. Dimitré Dinev was born in Bulgaria in 1968. In 1990, he came to Austria as a refugee, where he studied and has since published screenplays, stories, and essays in German. Dimitré Dinev lives in Vienna.

"A novel full of suffering and joy, full of tenderness and brutality. A tribute - and perhaps also an appeal - to the possibility of preserving humanity even in impossible times." (Die Presse)

"Once you find yourself in Dinev's world, you are reluctant to leave it." (Frankfurter Rundschau)

Dimitré Dinev, Time of the Brave, Kein&Aber, 2025