The Mussel Feast (9 page)
Authors: Birgit Vanderbeke,Jamie Bulloch
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NO
1
Beside the Sea
by Véronique Olmi
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter
‘
It should be read.’
GUARDIAN
NO
2
Stone in a Landslide
by Maria Barbal
Translated from the Catalan by Laura McGlaughlin and Paul Mitchell
‘Understated power.
’
FINANCIAL TIMES
NO
3
Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman
by Friedrich Christian Delius
Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch
‘A small masterpiece.
’
TLS
MALE DILEMMA: QUESTS FOR INTIMACY
NO
4
Next World Novella
by Matthias Politycki
Translated from the German by Anthea Bell
‘Inventive and deeply affecting.
’
INDEPENDENT
NO
5
Tomorrow Pamplona
by Jan van Mersbergen
Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson
‘An impressive work.’
DAILY MAIL
NO
6
Maybe This Time
by Alois Hotschnig
Translated from the Austrian German by Tess Lewis
‘Weird, creepy and ambiguous.’
GUARDIAN
NO
7
The Brothers
by Asko Sahlberg
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
‘Intensely visual.’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
NO
8
The Murder of Halland
by Pia Juul
Translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken
‘A brilliantly drawn character.’
TLS
NO
9
Sea of Ink
by Richard Weihe
Translated from the Swiss German by Jamie Bulloch
‘Delicate and moving.’
INDEPENDENT
NEW IN 2013
TURNING POINT:
REVOLUTIONARY MOMENTS
NO
10
The Mussel Feast
by Birgit Vanderbeke
Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch
‘Chilling precision.’
DER SPIEGEL
NO
11
Mr Darwin’s Gardener
by Kristina Carlson
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
‘Effortless humour.’
SUOMEN KUVALEHTI
NO
12
Chasing the King of Hearts
by Hanna Krall
Translated from the Polish by Philip Boehm
‘An outstanding writer.’
GAZETA WYBORCZA
Contemporary European Literature.
Thought provoking, well designed, short.
‘
Two-hour books to be
devoured in a single sitting:
literary cinema for those
fatigued by film
.’
TLS
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AUTHOR
Birgit Vanderbeke, born in 1956, is one of Germany’s most successful literary authors. She has written twelve novels.
The Mussel Feast
was her first publication and won the most prestigious German-language literature award, the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. The book was published in 1990 and has not been out of print since. It has been translated into all major European languages, including French, Spanish and Italian.
TRANSLATOR
Jamie Bulloch has worked as a professional translator from German since 2001. His works include books by Paulus Hochgatterer and Alissa Walser. Jamie has also translated
Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman
by FC Delius (
Peirene No. 3
) and
Sea of Ink
by Richard Weihe (
Peirene No. 9
).
First published in Great Britain in 2013
by Peirene Press, 17 Cheverton Road, London, N19 3BB
www.peirenepress.comThis ebook edition first published in 2013.
First published under the original title DAS MUSCHELESSEN by Rotbuch Verlag, Berlin 1990
Copyright © Rotbuch Verlag, Berlin 1990This translation © Jamie Bulloch, 2013
The right of Birgit Vanderbeke to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978-1-908670-11-3
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Designed by Sacha Davison-Lunt.
Illustration by Giulia MorselliThe translation of this work was supported by a grant from the Goethe Institut, which is funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.