Catch of the Day Ep. 15: »The Cicada Sheds Its Shiny Golden Skin« by Valeria Gordeev read by Imogen Taylor

In this episode, translator Imogen Taylor reads an English sample of Valeria Gordeev’s »The Cicada Sheds Its Shiny Golden Skin«.

Konstantin and Lada are siblings, divided by an unbridgeable silence. While Konstantin works in Moscow for a research institute responsible for preserving Lenin's body, Lada lives in Berlin as an artist. They have had no contact since the outbreak of the war. Lada cannot understand why Konstantin stayed in Moscow, and Konstantin has a task that is causing him headaches: his godfather has ordered him to steal rare biological specimens from the institute he works for.

Valeria Gordeev masterfully weaves the intimate story of a family between Berlin, Kyiv and Moscow into the grand, turbulent upheavals of our present day.

Praise for »The Cicada Sheds Its Shiny Golden Skin«:

"A truly great work" – ZEIT Podcast "Was liest du gerade?", Adam Soboczynski

"I have rarely read it done so brilliantly, how immediate political experiences are recast. That is truly great literature." – ZEIT Podcast "Was liest du gerade?", Iris Radisch

Valeria Gordeev was born in Tübingen in 1986. She works as an author and illustrator. She has received numerous awards for her writing. In 2023, she won the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize at the 47th German Literature Days in Klagenfurt. The Cicada Sheds Its Shiny Golden Skin is her debut novel which was awarded the 2026 Literary Prize of the Jürgen Ponto Foundation and was longlisted for the 2026 German Book Award.

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

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Credits

Text originally published as “Die Zikade entschlüpft ihrer goldglänzenden Hülle” by Valeria Gordeev

Translated and read by Imogen Taylor

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

Photo of the author © Alena Schmick

Concept: Verena von Bassewitz, Martin Butz & Elisa Diallo

Production, Editing & Sound Design: Martin Butz

⁠Impressum

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Send feedback and rights inquiries to ⁠foreignrights@fischerverlage.de⁠, or visit our website⁠ to find the right contact within our team for your territory.

Follow us on Instagram @s.fischer.foreignrights⁠.

Browse our latest rights guides and our online rights catalogue ⁠here⁠.

Subscribe to »Catch of the Day« on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode!

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

⁠Impressum

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 avoid attracting attention. The same goes for Hans, a socialist. The two hide coded messages for each other in the books of ostracized authors. Thomas Mann, Kästner, Tucholsky: as library books, they become a secret means of survival for Vera and Hans. Until Hans stops coming to the travelling library...

Today: In an old tram car, restorer Sophie comes across faded library cards - and discovers the secret code of a great love.

In »The Travelling Library«, Thomas Montasser draws on motifs and events from his own family history. During the Third Reich, his grandmothers were a maid for a Jewish family and a waitress in one of Hitler's favorite restaurants, respectively, while his grandfathers were a socialist and a communist - and both railroad workers. Thomas Montasser is an author, literary agent, and lecturer in book studies at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. His works have been translated into numerous languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in several countries.

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

Send feedback and rights inquiries to ⁠foreignrights@fischerverlage.de⁠, or visit our ⁠website⁠ to find the right contact within our team for your territory.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠@s.fischer.foreignrights⁠.

Browse our latest rights guides and our online rights catalogue ⁠here⁠.

Subscribe to »Catch of the Day« on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode!

Credits

Text originally published as “Die Wanderbücherei” by Thomas Montasser

Translated and read by Alexandra Roesch

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

Photo of the author © Mariam Montasser

Concept: Verena von Bassewitz, Martin Butz & Elisa Diallo

Production, Editing & Sound Design: Martin Butz

⁠Impressum

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.