Beloved Creatures
CULT ANIMAL FIGURES FROM HISTORY, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND FILMS
THE SHE-DOG CHOW CHOW JOFIE WHO SERVED SIGMUND FREUD as an »orientation aid«, the butterflies Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, chased his whole life, and the pugs who made German humourist Loriot a cult figure – all these animals »got somewhere«: they’ve got a name, fame, and maybe even literary immortality. Dietmar Grieser dedicates his latest exploration to these creatures and many others: How did the twoheaded eagle become Austria’s heraldic animal? What lies behind the
characters in the musical Cats or behind Marie von Ebner-Eschenbachs Krambambuli? Why did the Shah of Persia travel with a herd of gazelles on his state visit to Vienna? What is the pig of Saint Anthony doing in St. Stephen’s Cathedral? …
Dietmar Grieser's books are domestic bestsellers, have been translated into several languages, and many have been adapted for television. His awards include the Eichendorff Prize for Literature, the Czech cultural award »Artis Bohemiae Amicis«, the Honorary Cross for Science and Art, and the Great Honorary Cross of Merit for Special Services to the Republic of Austria. Amalthea most recently published The Bohemian Grandmother, It’s Never Too Late, The Second Me, Only in Vienna, Outing in The Countryside, and Paths You Never Forget. dietmargrieser.at