Thinking Reeds is an evocative collection of contemplations, delving into the vast tapestry of human existence and the intricacies of our emotional landscapes. Through ‘Thoughts,’ ‘Second Thoughts,’ and ‘Afterthoughts,’ readers are invited on a profound journey, exploring the depths of love and hate, the complexities of life and death, the shadows of friendship and enmity, and the stark contrasts between wealth and poverty, truth, and falsehood. This introspective compilation captures the essence of the human experience, painting a vivid portrait of our shared vulnerabilities and illuminating the myriad shades of our collective consciousness.
The author, Ernst Fellner, was born in Gmunden, Upper Austria, in 1909 and died in Vienna in 1979. He studied law in Vienna but moved to England to escape the Nazi “Anschluss”. He married an English author, Betty Inskip, whom he had met when she stayed at their family hotel on the lake in Gmunden. She died in childbirth, and Ernst was interred during the war. After the war, he started giving German lessons and set up a language school in South Kensington, which did well but eventually closed. Later on, Ernst started giving German lessons to adults with the then Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). But his true passion was always writing, especially aphorisms and philosophy which he had conceived and written for a long period of time. He retired from teaching and returned to Austria, but died of heart failure at the age of 70.