"Czernin's descriptions of [his] journeys, long stretches of which read almost like adventure stories, allow the reader to travel far and wide throughout the empire. A panorama of Europe during the Age of Enlightenment."
— Die Zeit
“Czernin confidently and vividly traces Joseph II’s expeditions, smoothly interweaving them with a biography of one of the key figures of the Habsburg dynasty [...].”
— Deutschlandfunk
"A vivid portrait of the eighteenth century."
— ORF
"This book, receiving the Friedrich Schiedel Literature Prize in 2023, is at the interface of historical scholarship and literary fiction, where it impressively fulfills the author’s goal of conveying well-founded European history with that of an engaging ‘story’ in novelistic form, in which the various figures are allowed to voice their experiences by means of direct fictional dialogue. […] In addition, the author skillfully illustrates the degree to which the historical developments of Europe had become interlaced in that period, and she explores the sources from which our current political thought derives. The book, along with being highly readable, is an essential contribution to our understanding of contemporary Europe."
— Brigitte Mazohl, University of Innsbruck
"By choosing a figure such as Emperor Joseph II, Monika Czernin'swork fits in perfectly with our era, in which the political Europe of Nations is part of our daily lives. Whether we criticiseit or not, we can no longer deny it or do without it. […] Monika Czernintakes us through all his journeys in Central and Western Europe, combining pure historicity with an exciting account of life and realism. […] A translation of Monika Czernin'sDer Kaiser ReistIncognitointo the main languages of the Europe of the Enlightenment, such as French and/or English, will be an undeniable cultural enrichment for all speakers. Joseph II, always ahead of his time, clearly understood that Europe can only function through the diversity and complementarity of its states."
— Jean-Pierre Lavandier, University of Bordeaux