Annette Kolb's Zarastro: Westliche Tage (Zarastro: Western Days) is a novel that feels both intimate and historically significant. Published in 1921, it draws heavily from Kolb's own life as a German-French writer navigating a fractured Europe.

The Story

The book follows Zarastro, a German musician living in Paris in the years leading up to World War I. We see his daily life—his artistic pursuits, his friendships, his love for the city's culture. But a shadow hangs over everything. As political tensions between Germany and France rise, Zarastro's position becomes increasingly uncomfortable. He's not quite French to his neighbors, and his life in Paris feels distant from his German family. The story is built from small moments: a charged conversation at a salon, a piece of news that changes the mood in a café, the private worry of receiving mail from home. It's a portrait of a man trying to hold onto his personal world while the public one is tearing apart.

Why You Should Read It

Kolb's genius is in the details. She doesn't shout about the coming war; she lets you feel its approach in the stiffness of a handshake or the sudden silence in a room. Zarastro's conflict is internal, and that's what makes it so powerful. This isn't a story about battlefields, but about the quiet casualties of nationalism—the friendships strained, the art left unmade, the simple joy of belonging that gets stripped away. Reading it today, it feels eerily relevant. It’s a reminder that the personal is always political, and that 'home' can be a complicated, fragile idea.

Final Verdict

This book is perfect for readers who love character-driven historical fiction and stories about artists. If you enjoyed the nuanced tension in novels like All the Light We Cannot See or the introspective mood of The Remains of the Day, you'll find a lot to love here. It’s also a fantastic pick for anyone interested in the human side of early 20th-century European history. Be prepared for a reflective, slowly unfolding narrative rather than a plot-heavy ride. Kolb offers a masterclass in writing quiet anxiety, making Zarastro a poignant and surprisingly modern read about a man caught in the gears of history.