Waldfried: A Novel

A weary yet hopeful patriarch receives a flurry of letters from his long‑absent son Ludwig, now an emigrant in America. The family’s youngest, a frail boy named Wolfgang, clings to the promise of a forest home that seemed to lift his fevered spirit. Their correspondence brims with longing for the German homeland, the grief of lost loved ones, and the imminent plan to return in spring.

The narrator’s loyal servant, Rothfuss, emerges as a steadfast figure who has followed him from a prison parapet to the quiet valley of the forest estate. Their bond, forged in hardship and whispered confidences, promises practical aid and steadfast companionship as the household prepares for the reunion. Together they anticipate the arrival of Ludwig, his wife, and his child, setting the stage for a fresh chapter amid the deep woods and the lingering echoes of a turbulent past.