‘Warum hatte er die Zeichen nicht gesehen?’ [book review – German]

A review of Ciao by Johanna Adorján Hans Benedek is in trouble. A well-respected art critic and journalist, he has reached middle age only to find that his teenage daughter – Emma, a committed vegan – disdains him, that his wife – Henriette, once a promising young poet, now a part-time yoga instructor – is

‘Frauen waschen Wäsche, und Männer fliegen Flugzeuge’ [book review]

A review of Freiflug (Flying Free) by Christine Drews In 1974, a young German woman named Rita Maiburg applied for a job as a pilot with Lufthansa. She was fully qualified for the position, having paid for training and a license herself, and regularly flew private jets from Cologne–Bonn airfield. She was able, experienced and

‘Ohne das Licht hinter sich zu löschen’ [book review]

A review of Streulicht (Sky Glow) by Deniz Ohde A troubling novel, this one. Deniz Ohde’s debut novel, Streulicht (Sky Glow), shortlisted for last year’s German Book Prize, is in many ways a Bildungsroman – just not what one might expect from the genre. From its setting of an industrial area on the edge of

‘Welch herzzereißendes Glück’ [book review]

A review of Nagel im Himmel (A Nail in the Sky) by Patrick Hofmann German author Patrick Hofmann’s second novel, Nagel im Himmel (A Nail in the Sky) is an intimate, moving portrait of a brilliant young mathematician. As might be expected – the two words often go hand in hand – Oliver Seuß, our

‘Ein Geschmack von grünen Äpfeln’ [book review]

A review of Die zitternde Welt (The Trembling World) by Tanja Paar Tanja Paar writes figures on the edges of things. So it says in her author biography, a claim corroborated by her latest novel, Die zitternde Welt (The Trembling World), which sees not only the vast majority of its characters but also the world

‘Ein Stern erster Größe’ [book review]

A review of Der weiße Abgrund (The White Abyss) by Henning Boëtius Heinrich Heine was one of the great luminaries of German literature, ‘ein Stern erster Größe am Himmel der Poesie’ (‘a star of the first magnitude in the heavens of poetry’). Known primarily as a poet, but also for his essays, satires and travel

‘Solche Häuser sind ein Fluch’ [book review]

A review of Das Gartenzimmer (The Garden Room) by Andreas Schäfer I was intrigued as soon as I heard about it: Andreas Schäfer’s new novel, Das Gartenzimmer. Set in Berlin’s Dahlem neighbourhood, it sweeps right across the twentieth century, charting the rise and fall of several characters associated with one of the villas for which

‘Wir sind Meister der Perspektive’ [book review]

A review of Die Richterin (The Judge) by Lydia Mischkulnig ‘We are masters of perspective,’ says a court interpreter to Gabrielle, the main protagonist and titular judge of Lydia Mischkulnig’s new novel Die Richterin. He is speaking of the two of them, and the work they do in trying to establish what is real and

‘Serbien können wir eh nicht entkommen.’ A review of Die guten Tage by Marko Dinić

Marko Dinić is angry. Or rather, his narrator is. To assume that author and narrator are one and the same is a cardinal error, yet given the plot devices and narrative structure of Die guten Tage, I think that the reader would be forgiven for at least wondering. Yet whether Dinić does or does not