The Last Princess

When Elisabeth Petznek dies in Vienna in 1963, the fierce Alsatians in her bed also come to rest. She has just reached the age of 80. Hotheaded, vulnerable, unrestrained, open-hearted, blunt and headstrong. A woman who fit neither the roles intended for her nor those she willed for herself her entire life.

On the occasion of her birth in 1883, she was celebrated with a volley of gunfire, torchlight processions and military marches as the granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. 80 years later, however, her situation couldn’t be more different from that of imperial pomp and circumstance. She has severed ties with everything her heritage once meant. In 1948, she had gotten married for the second time: to Leopold Petznek, her long-time life partner, a teacher and social democratic politician – the first man who didn’t surrender to her.

This novel recounts the life story of a spoilt heiress, member of the Habsburgs and a socialist, four-time mother and member of the high society, who could be just as generous and charming as she could be stubborn.