Ghosts of Berlin

English sample translation by Jefferson Chase available
Recommended for translation by New Books in German (Spring 2017)

On the surface, present-day Berlin looks like the epitome of the modern metropolis. It is a city of newcomers, investors and partyers in which groups mix but also displace each other. Yet, at the same time, it is a city steeped in history that was at the heart of major historical movements – from the social changes of Germany’s imperial age to the horrors of the “Third Reich” and the upheavals of the Cold War.

In seven episodes that mutually comment on and complete each other, the city’s past catches up with people from the new Berlin. They feel an incredible aftershock, a flickering on the retina that just won’t go away. Some see calamity coming, like the old building superintendent who tries to stop the digging works to install a playground in the back yard. Others try to flee from Berlin’s ghosts, to ignore them or repress them with alcohol. Only one of the protagonists is brave enough to hunt for ghosts in the streets of Berlin at night – chasing after a strange creature that is sabotaging Berlin’s airports.

A play on genres and history – a marvelous literary debut