Catch of the Day - The S. Fischer Foreign Rights Podcast

Catch of the Day Ep. 13: »The Travelling Library« by Thomas Montasser read by Alexandra Roesch In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Thomas Montasser’s »The Travelling Library«. Vera and Hans meet in the white and blue tram that journeys through Munich as a travelling library - and fall in love. But as a “half-Jew,” Vera must now, in 1937, do everything she can to...

Catch of the Day Ep. 12: »The New Fascism: Entitlement and the Urge to Destroy« by Eva von Redecker read by Lucy Duggan In this episode, translator Lucy Duggan reads an English sample of Eva von Redecker’s »The New Fascism: Entitlement and the Urge to Destroy«. There is a shift to the right around the world, with authoritarian forces gaining power and influence everywhere. And yet the ever-present...

Catch of the Day Ep. 11: »What Truly Matters« by Nadine Schneider read by Alexandra Roesch In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Nadine Schneider’s »What Truly Matters«. »What Truly Matters« is a sweeping mother-daughter story spanning four generations, a book about farewells, new beginnings, and the work of life. It is late summer, and the grapes are ripe in the...

Catch of the Day Ep. 10: »The House Sitter« by Emily Rudolf, read by Alexandra Roesch In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Emily Rudolf’s thriller »The House Sitter«. Cecilia works as a house sitter, moving from job to job. After the death of her mother, she has lost her footing and can no longer even afford a room in a shared apartment. Now she finds herself dro...

Catch of the Day Ep. 9: »I'd Like to Go Back in Time« by Judith Hermann read by Katy Derbyshire In this episode, translator Katy Derbyshire reads her English sample of Judith Hermann’s »I'd Like to Go Back in Time«. To which places have the memories retreated? Judith Hermann follows the traces of her grandfather, who was stationed in Radom, Poland, during the war. She thinks about what effect the...

In this episode, translator Fiona Graham reads an English sample of Nora Haddada’s »Such Sweet Sorrow«. When Julian spots Myriam in a Marseille karaoke bar, he can't look away. A conversation, a duet, and an illegal trip to the top of a construction site, their connection feels special. Myriam feels it too: this is different from anything she's ever experienced before. They are both young, well-re...

In this episode, translator Chen Chen reads a sample of Michael Martin Day’s English translation of Liao Yiwu’s »18 Prisoners«. Prisons serve as mirrors reflecting societal truths by unveiling its darker counterpart. The stories shared by those incarcerated offer distinct, countervailing narratives. Liao Yiwu, in his incarceration, gathered these life stories, piecing together an alternative narra...

In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Elisa Hoven’s »Dark Moments«. This absorbing debut novel draws from Elisa Hoven’s experience as a professor of criminal law and high-court judge. Nine cases unfold as gripping legal dramas, exploring moral and ethical dilemmas through the lens of law and justice. »Dark Moments« takes the reader into the world of protagonist an...

In this episode, translator Simon Pare reads Thomas Mann’s essay »The Dangers Facing Democracy« from »In Defense of Democracy« which compiles all of Thomas Mann's relevant speeches and essays on democracy for the first time in one volume. "It has become a questionable matter with the self-evidence of democracy around the world." This remark does not stem from a comment on the current political sit...

In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker’s Austrian Book Prize 2024 winner »Burning Fields«. At 18 Luisa Fischer learns that her father Bob is not her biological father and realises that the affection she feels for him goes beyond a daughter's love. She leaves her home and her family and after restless years in various cities, settles in Ham...

In this episode, translator Charlie Wührer reads an English sample of Patricia Koelle’s bestseller »Message in A Bottle from Life«. Pixie is a fantasy author. Recently she has become dissatisfied because her writing is stagnating. So she accepts an offer to research the history of an old ship in a bottle for a magazine. The search takes her to harbours on the East Friesland North Sea coast, where...

In this episode, translator Katy Derbyshire reads an English sample of Clemens Meyer’s »The Projectionists«. World English rights of »The Projectionists« have been sold to Fitzcarraldo Editions. Clemens Meyer is translated into Arabic, Croatian, Danish, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Macedonian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil and Turkish. »The Projectionists« is an epic tale about Europe's...

Welcome to the first episode of S. Fischer’s Foreign Rights Podcast »Catch of the Day«!  In this episode, translator Zaia Alexander reads an English sample of Antje Rávik Strubel’s German Book Prize winner »Blue Woman«. »Blue Woman« asks the question, do we have the right to remain silent? Adina grew up as the last teenager in her village in the Czech Giant Mountains. While attending a langua...