Kay Zeisberg (1965)

German music journalist, theatre dramaturgist and writer

He lives and works as a freelance writer in Leipzig. He dedicated his first published book – a novel called Mramorový palác: Piešťanský román (The Marble Palace: a Piešťany Novel) to the founder of the Piešťany Spa Ľudovít Winter. The book first saw the light of day in Germany and later in Slovakia. It highlights the Winter family’s extraordinary contributions not forgetting to show their human qualities as well. As a literary work The Marble Palace: a Piešťany Novel was awarded the Mayor of Piešťany Award as the Cultural Achievement of 2013. The author is currently finishing another novel about Ľudovít Winter’s younger brother Imrich.

What the book is about...

German teacher, Bratislava native Ondrej, would like to make his own picture of the times, which he knows about only from books. In the spa town, where he spent his childhood, he meets his old friend from Germany – Selma, who comes here every year to the spa. .. The teacher remembers the times, when as a small boy, he witnessed the demolition of the Franz Joseph Spa, which was made entirely of marble. The building was called the “marble palace“. It was precisely from this that the writer Kay Zeisberg drew inspiration and according to which he also titled his novel.

The author about Piešťany:

“I first came here in 2011 when I injured my shoulder and wanted to treat it with Piešťany mud. Until then, all I knew about Piešťany was from what I had heard from people, who had come here for treatments during the times when Germany was still divided. Basically, I didn’t even know where this town was located, whether in Slovakia or in Hungary, however, when I finally came here I was fascinated from the very first moment.”

“I’m fascinated by the atmosphere, which is created by visitors from various countries, as well as by the very interesting architecture, and the visible footprints of time. The town is not “gold-plated” like other spa towns and allows you to see its history, scars and all. I was also fascinated by the story of the Winter family, which I learned about here. It intrigued me to learn just what they were able to do for this town as well as how, for various political reasons, they faded from memory, until recent years, when there have been efforts to, once again, recall their cultural, economic, and spiritual legacy.“

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