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 little knowledge and the speechlessness in the family had - and what influence it also had on her writing. From Poland, she travels to her sister in Naples and pursues remembering and forgetting in subsequent generations. In intermediate and undertones, Judith Hermann tracks down the voids and damages of every life, but brings us a little closer to the beauty hidden therein with her magical and magnetic stories.

Praise for Judith Hermann:

“Judith Hermann's books are unflinching explorations of human conditions." — Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Home

“A master storyteller.” — The Independent, London on Summerhouse, Later

“In the ‘Nobel Prize League’” — Frankfurter Rundschau on We'd Have Told Each Other Everything

Judith Hermann was born in Berlin in 1970. Her debut story collection Summerhouse, Later (1998) was extremely well received. It was then followed in 2003 by the story collection Nothing But Ghosts, and several of the stories contained in the latter were adapted for film in 2007. In 2009, she published Alice, five short stories that received international acclaim. Her first novel, Where Love Beginns, came out in 2014. It was followed in 2016 by the short story collection Lettipark, which was awarded the Danish Blixen Prize for Short Stories. Hermann has received numerous awards for her work, including the Kleist Prize and the Friedrich Hölderlin Prize. Her novel Home was published in spring 2021. It was nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize and received the Bremen Literature Prize in 2022. Most recently, S. Fischer published We'd Have Told Each Other Everything, based on the Frankfurt poetry lectures given by Judith Hermann in spring 2022. The author received the Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize for this work. Judith Hermann lives and writes in Berlin.

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

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Credits

Text originally published as “Ich möchte zurückgehen in der Zeit” by Judith Hermann

Translated and read by Katy Derbyshire

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

Photo of the author © Andreas Reiberg

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.

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-read, critical and enchanted by the magic and lightheartedness of Marseille as backdrop to their love story. And yet, they lose touch when they return to their lives, Myriam to Paris and Julian to Berlin.

Their paths cross again in Berlin when Myriam arrives for her PhD. But after October 7, a rift forms between them, with the lovers finding themselves on opposite political sides. In »Such Sweet Sorrow,« Nora Haddada masterfully weaves a tale of love, sex, political discourse, and the tragedy of our times.

"Clever, profound, and subtly ironic (...) I couldn't put it down." - Benedict Wells

Nora Haddada , born in 1998, studied Creative Writing and Literary Studies in Hildesheim, Berlin, and Paris. Her debut novel »Nichts in den Pflanzen« was published in 2023 by Ecco/HarperCollins. She lives in Berlin and Paris.

Head to our website to find a longer sample translation 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 to not miss the next episode!

Credits

Text originally published as “Blaue Romanze” by Nora Haddada

Translated and read by Fiona Graham

Copyright © S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main 2025

Photo of the author © Olga Blackbird

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.

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 narrative of China's history. Echoing the endeavors of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, he uncovers the grim realities within what he terms "the world's largest prison." »18 Prisoners« delves into the lives of not just 18 individuals, often incarcerated for their political beliefs, but also narrates 18 tales of escape. Each instance of escape—whether across towering mountains or vast seas—underscores that the human yearning for freedom, inventive spirit, and the indomitable drive to survive transcend political subjugation.

Liao Yiwu, born in Sichuan province in 1958, grew up in great poverty. In 1989, he wrote the poem "Massacre", for which he was imprisoned for four years. In 2007, Liao Yiwu was awarded the Freedom to Write Prize from the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, the awarding of which was prevented at the last minute. Since then, he has published numerous books that have been translated into many languages, including »The Corpse Walker« (2009), »For a Song and a Hundred Songs« (2011), »Wuhan« (2022). He lives in Berlin.

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 to not miss the next episode!

Credits

Text originally published as “18個囚徒 18 Gefangene” by 廖亦武 Liao Yiwu

Translated by Michael Martin Day, read by Chen Chen.

Copyright © S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main 2025

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.