Summer Reading 2022

Summer is here, and our list of new German literature in translation is perfect for the beach, the park, or just your air-conditioned apartment. From the dark psychological hues of Juli Zeh’s New Year, to the whimsical reflections on identity and home in Where You Come From by Saša Stanišic, to Bernhard Schlink’s sweeping novel Olga, these newly translated books represent some of Germany’s most engaging authors. We also have a newly translated classic text, the Correspondence, 1939-1969 of Theodor Adorno and Gershom Scholem, which captures these formidable philosophers in a more personable mood. All are available at our library, so stop by, say hi, and borrow a book.

Recent Translation Recommendations

Juli Zeh: New Year

Juli Zeh’s New Year is a dark and psychologically complex novel about a family. Fittingly enough, it starts with a man on holiday (New Year’s in this case) and leaps into a vivid exploration of his past. This riveting story is magnificently translated by Alta L. Price. (World Editions, 2021)
Bernhard Schlink: Olga

Bernhard Schlink’s Olga, beautifully translated by Charlotte Collins, is a passionate love story about an orphan girl who falls in love with her childhood friend. It has been praised by critics as more reflective than his bestselling novel The Reader. (HarperVia, 2021)
Mariana Leky: What You Can See From Here

What You Can See From Here by Mariana Leky is a moving and heartwarming story about community. The inhabitants of a small town contend with past secrets and live, love, and grieve together in this optimistic and bittersweet book. Tess Lewis’s exceptional translation puts you firmly in the world of this small town. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021)
Saša Stanišic: Where You Come From

Where You Come From by Saša Stanišic is a story about refugees in Germany, set in a village where only thirteen people remain. Translated by Damion Searls, this blend of fable and autofiction is a deep reflection on the nature of identity and belonging. (Tin House, 2021)
Theodor W. Adorno and Gershom Scholem: Correspondence, 1939 – 1969

Correspondence, 1939 – 1969 by Theodor W. Adorno and Gershom Scholem, and translated by Sebastian Truskolaski and Paula Schwebel, is a dazzling and moving document of the decades-long friendship between German-Jewish philosophers Theodor Adorno and Gershom Scholem. Their letters span radical politics, German idealism, and most notably the influence of Jewish mysticism and theology on their own philosophical thought. (Polity, 2020)