This book is based on legends and folk stories of the German folk hero Thyl Owlmirror. The story reflects the events during the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish empire. This 16th century epic is compared to the stories of Don Quixote and Robin Hood by popularity. The main character of the story Thyl Ulenspiegel is a happy-to-go prankster, born with uncanny wit and spirit of observation. From the very childhood he exposes the ugly sides of people with humor, sarcasm, and mischief. All the childhood and early years Thyl amuses his closest with witty prank and jokes. Yet, one day, the tragedy enters his home. His father got accused for heresy and burned in fire. This sad event transforms Thyl. Now, he grows up and becomes a national leader in the revolt against the Spanish dictatorship.

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The New York Times Best Historical Fiction of 2020 The Guardian's Best Fiction of 2020 Thrillist's Best Books of the Year Daniel Kehlmann transports the medieval legend of the trickster Tyll Ulenspiegel to the seventeenth century in an enchanting work of magical realism, macabre humor, and rollicking adventure. Tyll is a scrawny boy growing up in a quiet village until his father, a miller with a forbidden interest in alchemy and magic, is found out by the church. After Tyll flees with the baker’s daughter, he falls in with a traveling performer who teaches him his trade. As a juggler and a jester, Tyll forges his own path through a world devastated by the Thirty Years’ War, evading witch-hunters, escaping a collapsed mine outside a besieged city, and entertaining the exiled King and Queen of Bohemia along the way. The result is both a riveting story and a moving tribute to the power of art in the face of the senseless brutality of history. Translated from the German by Ross Benjamin