"Anything devoid of danger bores me!". This remark by Erika Mitterer is the maxim to her monumental novel that tells of the evil within each and everyone of us.

The story is set in the waning Middle Ages. A young noblewoman is sent to a nunnery by her family and though she initially seems willing to endure her lot, pride and responsibility soon get the better of her. She embarks upon a forbidden love affair with a priest, descending deeper and deeper into guilt until the Inquistion finally intervenes – and all the while bringing her innocent sister down with her.

"A master storyteller. A psychologically complex story told in an unsurpassable manner." (NZ, Melita Giorgioni)

"An important re-discovery." (Wendelin Schmidt-Dengler, University of Vienna)

On the occasion of Erika Mitterer's 100th birthday.

About the author:

Erika Mitterer (1906-2001) At the age of 18, Erika Mitterer had already drawn attention to herself through her exchange of letters with Rainer Marie Rilke. At the age of 24 she published her first volume of poetry which deeply impressed an author as renowned as Stefan Zweig. Her most important novel, "The Prince of Darkness", was published in 1940. It escaped Nazi censorship by its being misinterpreted as an account of an average, everyday community invaded by evil – mistakenly seen as an attack upon the Catholic Church and not for its actual attack on conditions under the Third Reich. Other titles by E. Mitterer include the novel, "Alle unsere Spiele" (All of Our Games); two children's books, "Kleine Damengroße" (Women's Size Small) and "Tauschzentrale" (Second-Hand Shop), as well as poetry, theatrical dramas and essays. She was also the recipient of many awards.