Between Empires

For Oliviero Petzmann, Constantinople is the city of childhood: tram bells on the climb toward Pera, steam rising from ships’ engines, vendors calling beneath the apartment window. Trieste, his birthplace, is the homeland his parents remember—the place to which they expect one day to return.

Then the First World War enters their household. His father leaves for military service. Bread grows scarce, his mother falls dangerously ill, and the family depends on ingenuity and the loyalty of friends.

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As Oliviero grows older, he discovers a gift for machinery. In a city of many languages, his practical knowledge opens doors—from the Fiat workshop to fire engines, a president’s motorcar, and a Russian’s Rolls-Royce. But the independence he hopes to build remains vulnerable to decisions made in distant offices. When the family returns to Italy, even their surname must change.

Written by Andrea Fuchs Petzi and Paul Fuchs Petzi, and inspired by Paul’s father’s recollections, Between Empires: A Novel of Constantinople and Trieste follows a young man learning how to make a life amid the collapse of empires.

Rich in family affection, quiet humor, and the textures of two remarkable cities, it asks what makes a place—and a country—our own.