Annette with Jozsef Karoly von Habsburg 12 December 2014
Part of her sequel occurs in late 1930s Austria, stripped of its empire, under siege from all directions, and impoverished by the Great Depression.
Her characters hold a range of political and social views, setting the stage to examine a society that was about to be plunged into war yet again.
For 700 years the Habsburgs provided a pivotal centre of Christendom within which a diversity of cultural traditions flourished, yielding an educated society rich in music and art.
At the time of the recent funeral of Otto von Habsburg, the last Habsburg to have ruled, until his exile, there was a tangible sense of loss, a recognition that that many valuable elements from the time of that benevolent Christian monarchy are lacking in modern European government.
Jozsef was quite moved to see the depth and quality of Annette’s research, and invited her to send him sections of the manuscript for his comments and suggestions.
For her part, Annette said this unexpected opportunity had lifted her from bookish research into a whole new experiences of the family which had been Austria’s heart for centuries.
Caption: Following 13 days of mourning, the heir to the thrones of the great Austro Hungarian Empire, His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Otto of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary, Otto von Hapsburg, was laid to rest in Vienna on 16 July 2011.
Annette is most grateful to Marta Mikes and Mr Jozsef Tassanyi, of Sydney’s Hungarian community, who brought her work to the attention of Jozsef Karoly, and facilitated this most enjoyable afternoon meeting. Köszönöm!