Today we have a double giveaway. One on Lizzy‘s blog (that will be posted around 18.00 UK time) and the other one here. The giveaways are part of our German Literature Month in November.
Lizzy is giving away Pereine titles (Next World Novella, Portrait of The Mother as A Young Woman and Maybe This Time) and two copies of Berlin City-Lit (see below). Her giveaway is UK only.
I’m very happy to be able to offer you three great book choices.
The first is Clemens Meyer’s short story collection All the Lights, courtesy of And Other Stories. Meyer started as a very young author and since he has entered the literary scene he has received a lot of praise.
Fifteen stories, laconic yet full of longing, from the young star of German fiction.’ GQ ‘The best crafted, toughest and most heart-rending stories in Germany.’ Spiegel ‘Respect to him. He’s the real deal.”
A man bets all he has on a horserace to pay for an expensive operation for his dog. A young refugee wants to box her way straight off the boat to the top of the sport. Old friends talk all night after meeting up by chance. She imagines their future together…Stories about people who have lost out in life and in love, and about their hopes for one really big win, the chance to make something of their lives. In silent apartments, desolate warehouses, prisons and down by the river, Meyer strikes the tone of our harsh times, and finds the grace notes, the bright lights shining in the dark.
The second book is Jenny Erpenbeck’s Visitation which we give away courtesy of Portobello Books. I’m sure you have seen the one or the other review of this book. It was a huge success in Germany and is now equally appreciated everywhere else.
`This haunting novel beautifully dramatises how ordinary lives are affected by history’
By the side of a lake in Brandenburg, a young architect builds the house of his dreams – a summerhouse with wrought-iron balconies, stained-glass windows the color of jewels, and a bedroom with a hidden closet, all set within a beautiful garden. But the land on which he builds has a dark history of violence that began with the drowning of a young woman in the grip of madness and that grows darker still over the course of the century: the Jewish neighbors disappear one by one; the Red Army requisitions the house, burning the furniture and trampling the garden; a young East German attempts to swim his way to freedom in the West; a couple return from brutal exile in Siberia and leave the house to their granddaughter, who is forced to relinquish her claim upon it and sell to new owners intent upon demolition. Reaching far into the past, and recovering what was lost and what was buried, Jenny Erpenbeck tells an exquisitely crafted, stealthily chilling story of a house and its inhabitants, and a country and its ghosts.
The third book is a contribution from Oxygen Books. You can win a copy of City-Lit Berlin. An anthology of stories set in Berlin. There are a lot of interesting authors included. Many German ones but also others.
If you would like to win one of those books, or enter for more than one, please let me know which ones you would like. Ideally you would read and review the book that you win.
Don’t forget to visit Lizzy’s Literary Life if you are located in the UK. She will post this evening (18.00 UK time).
The giveaway is open internationally, the books will be shipped by the editors. The winners will be announced on Sunday 23 October 20.00 – European – (Zürich) time.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
I’d love to win the Berlin City-Lit book, so please enter me – thanks 🙂
Knowing you, you’ve read the others already. 🙂
I would love to read City-lit Berlin, sounds very good!
Great giveaway!
The book does sound good.
Btw I just read a book by a young vegan author and will post the review tomorrow.
I am really interested in reading the review! BTW all the books in the giveaway sound great, German books come very rarely to my country, even though we are neighbours!
It’s the first time I read a novella in which someone propagates eating vegan food. I can imagine that German books are not easily found in the Czech Republic. We are lucky. We were offered great books.
three great books I ve read them all and own them good luck to all that enter ,all the best stu
Thanks for the support, Stu.
I read the Clemens Meyer story on the Guardian website and really want to read more of his stories – thanks for the give-away!
He is a n extremely interesting writer. I hope they will translate his novel as well.
These all look trememdous and would happily review any of them. Great site!
Thanks, John, I’ll enter you for all three.
I’d love to win City-Lit Berlin.
I loved, loved, loved Visitation. Whoever wins that is in for a treat! My review is here, if interested.
i liked your review a lot. And feel like reading it now.
Another giveaway? wow…you should join giveaway bloghop 🙂
All three of them look interesting…I’d love to enter for any of them. and a review is definite in my blog 🙂
Chnaces are a good to win with three books. 🙂 And there are more to come. Also crime.
I’ve already much to many books on my german-list, I might have to make a year of it…! German Literature Year 2012?????
I just discovered Marlene Haushofer’s “Loft” in my shelf. I read her “Wall” many years ago and found it very intriguing. I also discovered a copy of Peter Handke’s “Mein Jahr in der Niemandsbucht. Ein Märchen aus den neuen Zeiten”, I started it some months ago, but suddenly it got lost in between other books.
SO – I better start reading!
ps: never heard of Clemens Meyer before, but it sounds like texts I would like to read.
Sigun, I will also speak about The Wall in one of my posts. I thought it was such a stunning book, I read it a while back but I never forgot it. It’s haunting.
I’m not quite sure, you would like to be entered for the Clemens Meyer, right?
oh! Sorry, I’m imprecise: no – I’m not entering, but I’d love to read a review of it!
All the best!
S
OK.I’m sure he will be reviewed. I hope so too.
Thanks for the giveaway! Visitation looks fascinating.
I’m participating in the German lit month and would review the book then, if I won a copy.
I’m more and more interested in reading it myself. I bought it when it was first published in Germany.
I’ll try for City-Lit Berlin. Short stories are a great way to find new writers.
Thanks
It does look interesting. I’d love to enter myself but Lizzy’s is UK only…
I’m reading Visitation now and it’s a unique reading experience. Please enter me for the first book. Thanks for the opportunity.
Her style is very special, I only read a few pages but it’s very well written.
I read an interview with Meyer today. An interesting guy.
I would like to enter for Visitation and City-Lit Berlin, please!
Sure, megan. They seem such great books.
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I’d love to enter for either Visitation or City-Lit Berlin. They both look quite interesting!
Visitation is quite challenging but interesting. Like vignettes.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway, Caroline! The books look wonderful! Good luck to all who enter!
You can always re-enter, you know. Winning once doesn’t exclude you. 🙂
Thanks Caroline 🙂 But I think I shouldn’t be too greedy 🙂 I should give others a chance too. I will enter my name when you are planning the Böll giveaway 🙂
You can never be too greedy when books are involved. 🙂
The Böll giveaway is due beginning of November.
Ha, ha, ha! That is true 🙂 I will keep an eye for your Böll giveaway post.
I love short stories so if you could drop my name in the hat for All the Lights I’ll try my luck! Thanks for offering the books–very cool that you and Lizzy have organized this–and a nice way to get people to read more German Lit!
It is, isn’t it? But I must admit the publishers were extremly generous. We have at least another 20 books to give away. Böll, Fallada and some crime. I started Clemens Meyer and he is one to watch.
All the books sound interesting and so enter me for all three but the one that I’ve set my heart on is Visitation. I love books where the past casts a long shadow on the present and this books with its portrayal of Germany’s chequered past seems right up me alley. I would really love to read it.
Thanks for the giveaways.
You are welcome, neer. Visitation is a small book but from what little I read it’s powerful.
The German Literature Month has really inspired me – I’m really eager for the Effi Briest readalong. And I’m looking for a second book – so please count me in for any of these! Erepenbeck’s “Visitation” is on a list of possibles which I’m carrying round in my purse, but I haven’t yet seen it on a bookstore shelf. On the other hand, I love short stories, and either of these collections would be super. I’m even getting my hitherto rather private blog ready for some visitors, and will happily review any prize over there. Thanks!
I already commented and changed the link in the Participants list (before I had mentioned goodreads).
I hope you will Effi Briest as much as I did.
There are a lot of other novels given away, not sure they will arrive in time but those in October should.
I’ll enter you for the books.
Hello, I would love to read Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck. Looking forward to the start of the German Literature month. Ceri
I’ll add you to the list.
I’m looking forward as well. 🙂