Renè Schickele, a storyteller, poet, playwright, journalist, translator, and the most significant author from Alsace to this day, was early on shaped by the unique position of Alsace between Germany and France and his commitment to Franco-German friendship. Pacifist and politically left-leaning, initially aligned with expressionism in his literary work, he later turned to a realistic writing style. With his 1915 drama about a family in the border region between Germany and France, Schickele achieved great popularity in his time. In a linguistically fascinating composition that combines earthy Alsatian dialect with expressionistic pathos, he tells the story of two unequal brothers: the changeable and driven Hans and the down-to-earth, home-loving Balthasar, along with a love story.