Der Hohlofenbauer : Roman

On the last Saturday of May the village of Schönbach awakens to the bright peal of Pentecost bells, each note rolling over the freshly‑planted birch trees that line every window. Among these trees stands the slender trunk before the modest home of Marie Berteles, known to everyone as Mariele, a twenty‑year‑old as graceful and untroubled as the sapling itself. The narrative paints a vivid picture of village life, where simple pleasures and close‑knit relationships shape the rhythm of each day.

The story introduces the jovial Hohlofen farmer, a fifty‑year‑old who still carries the energy of youth, and his son Rudolf, who arrives from the barn to join the church procession. When Mariele brushes the bark of the birch, a light exchange of teasing remarks and warm glances hints at a growing connection between the girl and the farmer’s son, while the older man watches with affectionate amusement. Amid the chatter of mothers and the rustle of summer leaves, listeners are invited into a gentle tale of love, duty, and the expectations of a close‑knit rural community.