Premio Strega Europeo 2023: two B&G novels shortlisted!
The shortlisted novels for this year's Premio Strega Europeo have just been announced and we're happy to see two B&G titles among them!
Rombo by Esther Kinsky (Suhrkamp Verlag, Italian translation by Silvia Albesano for Iperborea). In May and September 1976, two severe earthquakes rip through north-eastern Italy, causing severe damage to the landscape and its population. About a thousand people die under the rubble, tens of thousands are left without shelter, many will leave their home in Friuli forever. The displacement of material as a result of the quakes is enormous, new terrain is formed that reflects the force of the catastrophe and captures the fundamentals of natural history. But it is far more difficult to find expression for the human trauma, the experience of an abruptly shattered existence.
Samson und Nadjeschda by Andrej Kurkov (Diogenes Verlag, Italian translation by Claudia Zonghetti for Marsilio). In the tumultuous wake of the Russian Revolution, the young, recently orphaned Samson finds himself almost accidentally signed up to the new Soviet police force in Kyiv. His first case is a perplexing mystery involving a severed ear, a bone made of pure silver and a decidedly unusual suit tailored from fine English cloth. Luckily, Samson meets the ingenious Nadezhda, who aids him in his investigation.
The authors will present their books at the Salone del Libro di Torino and the winner will be announced on Sunday, May 21.
