German novels in English feature prominently in this month’s round up of reviews, which as a Germanophile I’m always pleased about, but which is actually pure chance: if you follow our unusual review process then you’ll know that YOU get to choose what YOU want to review. A few weeks ago I was in Hamburg which inspired ME to review a crime novel set in Hamburg, Blue Night by Simone Buchholz – her first novel in English. And by chance we have reviews of two more German crime novels, The Prepper Room by Karen Duve, and, Zen and the Art of Murder by Oliver Bottini. From Poland we have a heartfelt review of some heartbreakingly beautiful poetry, The Great Plan B, and from Switzerland (the Italian bit) we can read about Fleur Jaeggy’s latest novel Sweet Days of Discipline. This month not only do some of the most riveting writers from Europe appear on our pages but so do some of the best translators: Jamie Bulloch, Tim Parks and Rachel Ward – to name but three. And by the way, we always DO #NameTheTranslator. One more treat we have is a riveting recommendation from the outstanding translator from Swedish, Fiona Graham. Fiona reviews a novel in Swedish by the great Johanna Holmström, which she hopes might just be snapped up by a UK publisher. So, what’s stopping you?! Enjoy our Riveting Reviews and Recommendations.
The deadline for our next reviews is Monday March 5th.
By Rosie Goldsmith