The National Association of Book Entrepreneurs (NABE) proudly announces “In Search of Achilles” as the winner in the category of Literary Fiction for the Fall 2023 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards. This captivating novel delves into the journey of a young aristocrat exploring his values during the pivotal summer of 1990 in Western Europe. Amidst a backdrop where capitalism triumphs over communism, the story unfolds in an era marked by hedonic arrogance and overwhelming self-confidence. However, beneath this surface of euphoria, the protagonist perceives a deepening void in the soul of the Occident. As the age-old declaration “God is dead” resonates […]
Published in volksfreund.de, this article is a translated version of the original piece. Ex-Gladiator Marco van den Berg From Professional Coach to Novelist Trier/Schweich – Marco van den Berg – basketball coach and husband of politician Katarina Barley – has penned his first novel. He shares his journey towards fulfilling a dream, reflects on his time with the Gladiators, and reveals his promise not to return as a professional coach, for now. When it all comes to an end, someday. When time grows short, and every cell knows it. Then it’s probably a good thing to have a coherent answer […]
The host discusses Marco’s multifaceted journey, from his career as a writer to his previous role as a professional basketball coach and his collaborative efforts with his wife in managing a leadership and mediation company named Godipa. About the Aloönæ show The show is your go-to destination for lively conversations on an array of topics, including technology, movies, celebrities, sports, anime, animals, and fashion. Tune in for new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from our home base in Manchester, England.
I would like to share with you my interview about “In Search of Achilles”, which was broadcasted on the local Trier (Germany) television program Nachtgespräch, on the 22nd of September 2023. About Nachtgespräch A new episode every week – a new guest every week – and up to an hour of real conversation every week. This is the new series “Nachtgespräch” on OK54, which can not only be seen on television and in the media library, but is also gradually appearing as a podcast on more and more popular listening platforms.
“In Search of Achilles” is on sale as of October 3rd. On October 7th I shall be present to sign the novel in the city where the novel begins: Groningen, in the Netherlands. In the town’s oldest privately owned bookstore GODERT WALTER, I will be in the back with a nice pen. If you happen to be in the Low Countries, take a train up North. It will be worth your while. Address: Boekhandel Godert WalterOude Ebbingestraat 539712 HC Groningen Time: 15:00 – 17:00 hrs. Please have a look at the official announcement here.
Pretty soon now, my first novel, “In Search of Achilles” will be published. It is a novel that has been long in the making, as I structured its basic framework as early as 1990. Incidentally, that is the year in which the story is set. So now, 33 years later, that same framework is coming into being as a 360-plus paged, red-blooded novel. What is fascinating to me is the fact that after all these years, the basic structure hasn’t changed. When I restarted writing the book in the winter of 2021, the plot hardly deviated from its original skeleton […]
The release of my debut, “In Search Of Achilles,” is quickly approaching, and I’m thrilled to share that my publisher, Köehler Books, has unveiled a page featuring two potential book covers. Your valuable input in selecting the final cover would mean the world to me. Please take a moment to vote and help us decide which one best represents the essence of the story. Your support is greatly appreciated as we count down to the book’s release! Please visit Köehler Books and vote!
Being: we are the “thinking animals”. But what does it mean to be thinking? First of all, we need to trace the impetus of our very thoughts: where and when do they arise? How do they come to be? Are they born inside-out? Perhaps to raise the question: does individual agency create thoughts? Very important: I don’t pose these questions from within a scientific, measurement-compulsive frame. At least I hope I don’t. I try to steer free of prepositioning myself. I simply try to be, let my body breathe, sit still, and observe. This is very difficult. But I try […]
Livingindividuality What then, is our task in these times? Surely, we must help a hand in trying to find ground again on which our finite humanity can flourish and relearn the speak of the earth. This is the language of a circular breath, of the in-and-exhale, silently breezing all beings towards their birth, quieting them gently and reorienting their horizon towards what it is to be alive. What is this then, to be alive? And has this changed throughout history? For sure, our cultural fathers and mothers used different words, different symbolons. But scratch the symbol, which is a bridge, […]
This is a novel about trying to make sense of life after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It will be on the market on October 3, 2023. Everyone wondering where all current confusion came from should give it a try. 1990 was a pivotal year in the history of the Occident, and many foundations for the present day were laid -or strengthened- without anyone truly noticing them.