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The press is raving about Sasha Filipenko's The Ex-Son
What is life like after ten years in a coma? In today’s Belarus, it might mean that everything in your family has changed, whereas the country around you stayed exactly the same. This highly topical paradox is what Sasha Filipenko’s debut novel The Ex-Son is all about. The Ex-Son won the ›Russian prize‹ and was a finalist in the 2016 ›Big Book Award‹ (›Bolshaya Kniga‹). A theatrical adaptation of The Ex-Son is about to be staged at the Contemporary Art Theatre in Minsk.
The original Russian edition was published by Vremya, the Japanese edition was published by Shueisha. Here is a little glimpse into the immense and enthusiastic press response we have had:
»This is what the Belarusian author Sasha Filipenko writes in his new, witty, acerbic, combative and outstanding novel.«
Volker Weidermann / Der Spiegel, Hamburg
»The Ex-Son was published in Russian back in 2014; a significant detail, because the novel has lost none of its topicality.«
Nora Zukker / Tages-Anzeiger, Zurich
»Sasha Filipenko made us more closely acquainted with Belarus and its history. The fact that his book remains topical even seven years after its publication shows how dire the situation is.«
Uli Hufen / WDR 5, Cologne
»This literal irony of history is densely narrated, with humour and bitter solemnity.«
Cornelia Geißler / Berliner Zeitung, Berlin
»Perhaps the most moving and shocking release of spring 2021: Sasha Filipenko's prophetic debut novel The Ex-Son, available for the first time in German, depicts the hell of the Lukashenko regime.«
Dagmar Kaindl / Buchkultur, Vienna
Furthermore, Sasha Filipenko has been interviewed about the current situation in Belarus by a variety of media, such as FAZ or Berliner Zeitung. For the Diogenes podcast, Martha Schoknecht and Edda Striemer talk about The Ex-Son in the second instalment here (in German).
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Italian rights of Paul's Garden by Julian and Timon Meyer sold
Edizioni EL snapped up Italian rights of the picture book Paul's Garden by the Meyer brothers, just published in March.
Paul is a passionate gardener. Everything is verdant and blooming and aromatic: Tomorrow is harvest day. But when Paul goes into his garden the next day, everything has gone! He wants to find the thief at once, and a major surprise awaits ...
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Transient Desires #9 on the Sunday Times bestseller list and #14 on the New York Times bestseller list
Donna Leon's 30th novel in the Brunetti series made it to #14 of the New York Times bestseller list and #9 on the Sunday Times bestseller list upon publication. Furthermore, the press was very happy with it:
»Needless to say, by venturing outside the comfort zone of his own prejudices, this deeply simpatico detective learns a lot about his city, his countrymen and himself. And so do we.«
Marilyn Stasio / The New York Times Book Review, New York
»This landmark thirtieth Guido Brunetti novel demonstrates that Leon's beloved series shows no signs of aging.«
Bill Ott / Booklist, Chicago
»As always, that magical (if sometimes melancholy) city remains the heart and soul of Leon’s assured and heartfelt stories.«
Adam Woog / Seattle Times, Seattle
»Donna Leon’s Brunetti series is an epic achievement.«
Mark Sanderson / The Times, London
»Make way for the thirtieth novel in Leon’s beloved, bestselling series about Commissario Guido Brunetti.« Crimereads, 10 Novels you should read this March
And here's an interview with Donna Leon on this special occasion.
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Just published: Why Nobody Strokes Hedgehogs by Andrej Kurkow and Tatyana Goryushina
The little hedgehog is sad. The other animals are constantly being petted: the dogs, the cats, the rabbits and the horses. He’s the only one that no one strokes. But one day he meets a clever field mouse who shows him that we’re all lovable just as we are. And that sometimes it’s a wonderful thing to be wild and free.
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Patrick Süskind's The Story of Mr Sommer – a modern classic that remains in catalogues until today.
Susanne says: »First published 30 years ago, this short book is both a classic and a gem. Sempé’s light, caricatural illustrations perfectly capture both the humour and the gravity of Süskind’s tale.«
The Story of Mr Sommer is currently available in:
Arabic (Al Mada)
Basque (Erein Argitaletxea)
Chinese/CN (Shanghai Translation)
Chinese/TW (Business Weekly)
English/UK (Fox, Finch & Tepper)
Hebrew (Am Oved)
Hungarian (Partvonal)
Italian (Longanesi)
Korean (The Open Books)
Portuguese/BRA (Editora 34)
Portuguese/PT (Porto)
Russian (Azbooka-Atticus)
Spanish/world (Seix Barral)
Turkish (Can)
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The Talented Mr Ripley on The New York Times T Magazine book club
The virtual discussion with Edmund White in The New York Times book club about The Talented Mr Ripley will take place on April 22, at 7 p.m. Eastern time, or – for the hard-boiled night owls – on April 23, 1 a.m. in Zurich. It's a RSVP event and you can sign up for it here (and even ask questions in advance).
Furthermore, there is news about the cast of the Showtime series based on the Ripley novels: Dakota Fanning will be playing the role of Marge Sherwood.
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Luca Ventura's Bittersweet Lemons #16 on the Spiegel bestseller list upon publication
The second novel in Luca Ventura's Capri mystery series Bittersweet Lemons entered the Spiegel bestseller list at #16 and is now on #18. In terms of domestic sales, we have sold almost 40’000 copies of the first book In the Middle of August until today.
Here is the plot of Bittersweet Lemons: One accident, two families – and all of Capri gossiping. On the most beautiful island in the world, the lemons are ripening for the Bellinis' famous Limoncello. But then, the Constantinis suddenly stop supplying - they want to make the shift to organic fruits and crowd farming. When Elisa Constantini dies in a mysterious accident on Capri's serpentine roads, the island’s young detective Enrico Rizzi and his dynamic colleague Antonia Cirillo lead the investigation - and find themselves gazing into an abyss of old feuds and new disputes.
Bittersweet Lemons was presented in the second instalment of the Diogenes podcast here (in German).
In terms of foreign rights, Catedral snapped up Spanish rights of the start of the series, In The Middle of August, Univers bought Catalan rights. Both are imprints of the publishing group Enciclopèdia Catalana. Moreover, we’re currently in talks with film producers about adapting the series for the small screen.
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Hard Land #1 on the Spiegel bestseller list for 4 weeks
Benedict Wells has remained on #1 of the Spiegel bestseller list for 4 weeks and is currently on #3. The press echo remains overwhelming:
»Outstanding dialogue, razor-sharp sentences, unspent stories within the story, and precisely detailed observations follow one after the other, unfurling with precision.«
Ulrich Steinmetzger / Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Essen
»This book contains stunning truthfulness.«
Stefan Gohlisch/ Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Hannover
»A book so natural in its abundance, it’s as though it wrote itself.«
Hartmut Wilmes / Kölnische Rundschau, Cologne
»This novel sends the reader into the aforementioned state of euphancholy.«
Peter Zander / Berliner Morgenpost, Berlin
»Sam’s development from inconspicuous nobody to self-determined young man is delicately drawn.«
Markus Schramek / Tiroler Tageszeitung, Innsbruck
»The ›wonderful years‹ of which Truman Capote wrote are captured here with all their magic. We suffer, love, hope with Sam.«
Manfred Papst / Neue Zürcher Zeitung am Sonntag, Zürich
»All the characters in the novel are lovingly and precisely depicted.«
Dorothea Westphal / Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Cologne
»Benedict Wells is an experienced writer with a feel for bipolar emotional worlds, for big dreams and subtle tragedy.«
Bernhard Blöchl / Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich
»If it leaves you cold, you've obviously never been young.«
Theresa Hübner / WDR5, Cologne
»This is wonderfully written. You live and suffer, cry and cheer with him. Outstanding!«
Express, Cologne
»But above all, with the tone of this novel Benedict Wells also summons the Americans’ high art of storytelling: cool, light-footed, laconic, passionate.«
Doris Kraus / Die Presse am Sonntag, Vienna
»It [Hard Land] will bring many people comfort, laughter and tears. The fact that it’s great literature is actually irrelevant.«
Uli Kreikebaum / Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cologne
»A wonderful coming-of-age novel, emotionally gripping and full of courage.«
Lilo Solcher / Augsburger Allgemeine, Augsburg
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Just published: Capricho by Beat Sterchi
After the success of the long seller Cow (German title: Blösch), Beat Sterchi finally has a new novel with Diogenes. A vivid book about pausing and slowing down, and a declaration of belief in nature's beauty and majesty.
A writer makes his annual journey to his simple little house in a rundown Spanish village, the last dwelling at the end of the country road. It's the history of this very village that he wants to get down on paper, but he can't find the words. Instead he begins to work his ›huerto‹, the garden, and in the process enters into conversations not only with his neighbours - who pass on stories and tips - but above all with himself and with nature.
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Now published in translation: The End of Loneliness in Finnish
Finnish edition by Aula (Helsinki).
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Now published in translation: Tomi Ungerer's Non Stop in Chinese
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