Glorious People

“This is very much a story about the effects of world history writ large on everyday lives. It’s about two generations of women from the Soviet Union, the area that is now occupied Donbas. Protagonists Lena and Tatiana both end up in a fairly conservative Russian-speaking community in Germany. Their daughters attempt to break away and live their own lives as they want. We get Lena and Tatiana’s stories in multiple voices, and they have these very messy lives. This is a book about socialism and the ideals connected to it, corruption, and various inherited traumas. It’s a TARDIS of a book, not at all long—just bigger on the inside than the outside. Imogen Taylor’s translation style really cuts through the language and is very precise.” Read more...

The Best 21st-Century German Novels

Katy Derbyshire, Translator