The Blind Farmer

The fascinating and tragically short life of a farmer-philosopher living in the midst of 19thCentury, whose revolutionary visions have retained their relevance to this day.

Following an accident, Franzmichel goes almost totally blind when only a child of four. When the farmer’s son from the Austrian Vorarlberg region loses his father, he is forced to leave school in order to look after the family farm. But he won’t allow anything or anyone to stand in his way when it comes to pursuing his interest in philosophy and politics: he writes novels and campaigns tirelessly for social justice and improvement of the harsh living conditions of farmers and artisans. This moving account of the fate of an individual provides a slice of recent history, brought vividly to life.

Elmar Bereuter born in 1948 in Lingenau in the Bregenz Forest, comes from a family of farmers and is the eldest of four children. He has been running an advertising agency since 1991. His book »The Swabian Children«, which appeared in 2002, became a best-seller and formed the basis for a film for television with the same title. The author lives with his family near Lake Constance.