"Before kangaroos and even a lion roamed Berlin’s Peacock Island in the nineteenth century, a Baroque-era alchemist perfected the craft of glassmaking there. In Dreams of Fire, bestselling author Florian Illies pays literary tribute to him."
– Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), 29.05.2026
"It is clear that Illies burns with enthusiasm for [the alchemist Johannes] Kunckel."
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), 29.05.2026
"In his new novel Dreams of Fire, bestselling author Florian Illies tells the story of the alchemist Johannes Kunkel, who was meant to create gold but instead invented glass. A parable of ingenuity and hubris [...]."
– WDR, 10.06.2026
"It is a small piece of art history that Florian Illies recounts in his new book Dreams of Fire. At the same time, it serves as a lesson in the arbitrariness of absolutist power."
– Deutschlandfunk Büchermarkt, 08.06.2026
“Florian Illies is one of this country’s greatest storytellers.” — NDR Kulturjournal
“No one retells history more absorbingly than Florian Illies.” — Sonntagsblick
“Illies is masterful at turning history into adventure stories.” — Deutschlandradio Kultur
Let’s immerse ourselves in the grand dreams of a great man.
Johannes Kunckel was a magician and alchemist who believed he could conjure gold. As a result, the king of Prussia granted him Peacock Island, located between Potsdam and Berlin, so he could secretly create a new world out of fire in his wizard’s workshop. In the end, a piece of glass — as red as a ruby and unlike anything human eyes had ever seen — emerged from his furnace. It would quickly become one of Europe’s most sought-after luxury goods.
In the middle of the Baroque era, Johannes Kunckel took the step from magic to chemistry, making history in the process.
Florian Illies now retells this story in his inimitable, highly atmospheric style — with poetry, wit, and empathy for the past.