I hate things all fiction … there should always be some foundation of fact for the most airy fabric —
and pure invention is but the talent of a liar.
Lord Byron in a letter to his publisher John Murray — London 1817.
Προαιρεῖσθαί τε δεῖ ἀδύνατα εἰκότα μᾶλλον ἢ δυνατὰ ἀπίθανα.
Probable impossibilities are preferable to improbable possibilities.
Aristotele. Poetics. 1460A; c. 335 BC.
The third volume in the series … the year is 2006. Russia and its billionaires promise riches and an auspicious future, for many the country has become the land of the rising sun, not least for German media czars and politicians.
You live and learn, Jack Boulder realizes, but to which purpose? What doesn't kill us makes us stronger — The lie is a condition of life (both quotations by Friedrich Nietzsche; and Boulder will find answers to both).
From Basel to the Mediterranean, from Berlin to Istanbul — and beyond.
"One never really knows where a story has its beginning or when it's over and done with. This one was simple. It started on a Saturday."
It tries to answer questions such as: Why is a Russian oligarch interested in re-inventing the Berlin-Baghdad railroad of the late 19th century? Why is a leading German media entrepreneur and former East-German journalist deeply interested in the same topic? Is it dangerous to go long-distance biking in Turkey? Question after question.
It begins with an accident in Greece, follows man-hunts along dusty railroad tracks in the Middle East, and ends with a furniture truck in Switzerland.
Occident Express. Trade paperback. 248 pages, one illustration. 2022. ISBN 978-3-7562-3272-7. In English only. Manufactured and distributed by BoD, Norderstedt, Germany.
Prices (approx.): Trade paperback €14.80, E-book €9.99.
Occident Express. Illustrated hardcover, 264 pages, 29 color illustrations: Special premium edition — upon request only.
Peter de Chamier has a doctorate in history and works for an international scientific and humanitarian foundation.
The author has written and edited a number of non-fiction books that were translated into seven languages. He has contributed numerous newspaper articles to the culture and arts sections of several leading newspapers, and has a regular column in a scientific news magazine.
de Chamier's novels are written in the form of the political thriller, morally neutral — still moral, vigilant, full of suspense, tongue in cheek, and based on solid factual and historical foundations. They are written in English.