Ursina's Shelf - German lit, in translation
Issue 98
Liebe Leser:innen, dear readers,
It’s time to talk Deutsch!
Most of my book reading is still English, but with my move back to Switzerland and frequent book swapping with family members, I’ve read more German books in recent years. Today I would like to share three that stand out and have been translated into English.
Die Enkelin (The Granddaughter) by Bernhard Schlink (2021, translated in 2024)
Description: Schlink, well known for the book-turned-movie The Reader, tells the story of Kaspar, a bookseller, who discovers his recently deceased wife had given up a baby for adoption before fleeing East Berlin to join him in the West. He sets out to find this child, and discovers her in a Neo-Nazi community and with a daughter of her own, whom he starts to befriend (Buy here).
My take: This book paints not only a picture of German history and contemporary culture, it also explores the tensions and prejudices that this past has resulted in, and especially the frictions between West and East Germany before and after reunification, the economic inequalities, and the ideological impact of these differences.
Kairos (Kairos) by Jenny Erpenbeck (2021, translated in 2023)
Description: This book won the International Booker Prize in 2024, which is awarded not only to the author, but also honors the translators; in this case, Michael Hofmann. The story starts with a passionate love story between young Katharina and the much older author Hans in late 80s East Berlin. As their love turns toxic, the city around them falters ahead of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the characters and their surroundings crumble simultaneously, crescendoing like the main classical music pieces referenced throughout the story (Buy here).
My take: This book grabbed my attention with the intensity and passion of the first part, and by the time the initial love story turns grim, I was so engrossed, I started feeling angry at every injustice and slight. While almost crushing at times, this story made me “feel” so strongly, it is hard to describe. An incredible work, well worth the figurative weight of the story.
Identitti by Mithu S. Sanyal (2021, translated in 2022)
This book was previously featured in my top three books for 2021, it has since been translated into English.
Description: The story is told mostly from the perspective of Nivedita, a German student of a South Asian and Polish background faced with coming to terms with her own identity and the shocking revelations that her beloved mentor and Post-colonial Studies professor Saraswati has been lying about her identity as a woman of color and is in fact white. Nivedita now tries to grapple with Saraswati’s motives and confronts her directly, while also seeking more clarity on her own identity and beliefs.
My take: I have immense respect for how deeply researched this book is, drawing significant inspiration from the true events of the scandal of Rachel Dolezal in the US. I also enjoyed how modern the story telling mechanisms felt; while most of the novel uses prose, it is interspersed with blog posts, radio interviews, TedX style talks, and tweets. The tweets themselves are closely based on real tweets from important political and intellectual figures. But most importantly this book sucked me in with a plot that debates and confronts the challenges of race, identity, inclusion, and the difficulty of coming to terms with all this.
Currently reading: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, lent to me by Alex, who is coming to visit us!
If you are celebrating, HAPPY EASTER und FROHE OSTERN! I hope you find some Easter Eggs (and win the “Eierdütsch”), eat lots of chocolate, and maybe find time for a good book.
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