Gereon Rath Mystery Series, Book One
A virtual book club discussion of Babylon Berlin / Der nasse Fisch (2008 / 2018) by Volker Kutscher, translated by Niall Sellar.
Read and discuss works by contemporary German authors in this series hosted by the Goethe-Institut. All books can be read in recent English translation or in the German original; our discussion will be in English. Led by local German professor
Amanda Sheffer (The Catholic University of America), this book club focuses on contemporary fiction and will explore experiences and thoughts about the text.
In cooperation with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the Catholic University of America.
Please Note: In order to participate in the online discussion (carried out over Zoom), registrants must obtain access to the novel on their own. Hard copies of the novel can be ordered through multiple vendors online; the eBook is also available for download to Kindle, iPad, and other digital reading platforms.
Babylon Berlin: Book 1 of the Gereon Rath Mystery Series (Der nasse Fisch: Gereon Raths erster Fall) by Volker Kutscher (2008, English translation by Niall Sellar published in 2018)
The international bestselling
Babylon Berlin book series was adapted into a major television show by Tom Tykwer beginning in 2017. In this book club selection, we’ll discuss the first novel in the book series that was published over a decade before the TV show. Set in 1929 Berlin, the novel blends contemporary themes involving demonstrations, questions of gender and sexuality, and the role of the police as we follow detective Gereon Rath. Book 1 explores the murder of an unknown man with ties to the Russian underground trying to smuggle gold into Germany. Inspired by
The Sopranos,
Road to Perdition, and Fritz Lang’s
M, you'll be at the edge of your seat.
RSVP
Volker Kutscher (1962-)
Volker Kutscher studied Philosophy, German, and History at the Universities of Wuppertal and Cologne. He worked as a newspaper editor before writing his first novel in 1996. He received the Berlin Crime Fiction Award, Reinickendorfer Krimifuchs. He lives in Cologne with his family.
Niall Sellar (1984-)
Niall Sellar studied German and Translation Studies in Dublin, Konstanz, and Edinburgh. He lives in London and works as a translator and teacher of modern languages.
Discussion of Kutscher's novel will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, August 4, at 6:30 pm EDT / 5:30 pm CST. Please RSVP via Eventbrite in order to receive discussion prompts and the Zoom invite link. Discussion prompts from moderator Dr. Amanda Sheffer will be emailed to all participants RSVP'd via Eventbrite in advance of the discussion. The Zoom invite and additional directions/tips for accessing the Zoom discussion will be emailed to all participants no less than 48 hours before the discussion begins. The discussion will take place in English.
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