Signs of the times (Novel)

Glashütte, January 2016

A literary monument to Ferdinand Adolph Lange

Christoph Scheuring’s historic novel entitled “Signs the times” was inspired by the fascinating personality of Saxony’s watchmaking pioneer.

Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born in Dresden just over 200 years ago. Much has already been written about his accomplishments – the establishment of the precision watchmaking industry in Saxony and his determination to craft the world’s finest timepieces in the Ore Mountains. But little has been known about the first few years of his life so far. His rough-hewn father was a gunsmith who left the family early on. Lange grew up with foster parents who encouraged him in his ambitions and allowed him to study at the newly founded Royal Technical College, the precursor of what is now the University of Dresden. There, Lange was able to develop his scientific talents. Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, who was later appointed clockmaker to the court, quickly recognised the youngster’s exceptional aptitude and became his apprentice master and mentor.

What sounds like an entertaining piece of fiction is actually a true story – the perfect subject for a book. Hamburg-based writer and award-winning journalist Christoph Scheuring pays tribute to Ferdinand Adolph Lange in “Signs of the times”, his historic novel about an exceptional personality. The book will be released by the Hoffmann & Campe publishing house on 18 January 2016. Scheuring embeds Lange’s biography in a portrayal of Saxony’s early industrial history. With good reason, because nothing that characterised Lange’s personality and life work could be understood today without insights into the society, its scientific milestones and the philosophical trends of this epoch of upheaval and contradiction. The author contrasts Lange’s development with that of two fictional youths, in the process painting a vivid and multifaceted picture of Dresden and Saxony during the first half of the 19th century.