Catch of the Day Ep. 14: »Magisch« by Annika Büsing read by Alexandra Roesch

In this episode, translator Alexandra Roesch reads an English sample of Annika Büsing’s »Magisch«.

Marie never thought she would be sitting at her parents' kitchen table again in her mid-thirties, running a dog daycare centre in the village where she grew up. And yet that is her life now. In the middle of summer, Magisch is back too, Magisch, who slept in her bed for years, with whom she was the local punk couple – whom she hasn't seen since they broke up, but admittedly always missed. But then there's Andi, her brother and staunch right-winger – and for Marie, the time has come to finally stand up to him. In her unmistakable tone, Annika Büsing tells of an enduring love and the rift that runs through a family.

Praise for »Magisch«:

"a truly magnificent novel" - kultur.newsletter, Carsten Schrader

"brilliant dialogue and a moving family story" - ARD MoMa, Thomas Schindler

"Annika Büsing can do many things, but her absolute superpower is dialogue. Perhaps Magisch is the most beautiful and authentic love story of this autumn." – Kulturnews, Carsten Schrader

"Strictly speaking, Büsing only wanted to tell a love story. But then, as if by itself, another story wove its way in – one that speaks of contemporary society." – Süddeutsche Zeitung, Max Florian Kühlem

Annika Büsing (born 1981) lives with her family in Bochum and teaches at a secondary school. In 2022, she won the German Youth Literature Prize, the Ruhr Literature Prize and the Mara Cassens Prize for her acclaimed debut novel Nordstadt. She was also nominated for the Bavarian Book Prize, the Blogger Prize "Das Debüt" and the Debut Prize of the Harbour Front Literature Festival. With Koller, she made it onto the lists for the Evangelical Book Prize and the "Das zweite Buch" prize. Both novels have been adapted for the theatre. Her third novel, We're Getting By, was published by Steidl in spring 2025.

Head to our website to find a pdf of today’s sample here.

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Credits

Text originally published as “Magisch” by Annika Büsing

Translated and read by Alexandra Roesch

Copyright © S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main 2026

Photo of the author © Jörg Steinmetz

Concept: Verena von Bassewitz, Martin Butz & Elisa Diallo

Production, Editing & Sound Design: Martin Butz

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