- Arno Surminski turns 90 and presents his new novel
Just before his 90th birthday, author Arno Surminski, originally from East Prussia, has published a new novel. "From the Forests" tells the story of Wehrmacht soldier Gerd Wolters, who, after eleven years of captivity in Russia, searches for his missing son. Upon his return, he learns that his wife had died in a bombing raid in the final days of the war. Years later, he meets another woman in the Teutoburg Forest who is fighting to save the woods.
Fifty years ago, Surminski achieved success with "Jokehnen"
Born in December 1945, Surminski was expelled from the village of Jaeglack (now Jegławki) near Rastenburg (Kętrzyn) at the age of eleven. He came to Trittau in Schleswig-Holstein as an orphan. The author, who now lives in Hamburg, has processed his childhood memories of war and expulsion in numerous novels and stories. Surminski became known for his first book "Jokehnen or How Long Does It Take to Travel from East Prussia to Germany?", published in 1974.
Writing is part of life
Since then, he has written over 30 more books - several of which have been filmed. Even at 90, Surminski wants to continue writing. "I can't live without writing. I still have many ideas, some of which are already finished and in the drawer," he told the German Press Agency. He will celebrate his 90th birthday on Tuesday (20th August).
Surminski's childhood memories of expulsion from Jaeglack, now located in Poland's Jegławki near Kętrzyn, have often appeared in his novels. In his latest work, "From the Forests," the protagonist, Gerd Wolters, finds himself in the Teutoburg Forest, a significant location in Poland.
