Remarkable Writing from Germany.

V&Q Books is the brand new English-language imprint of one of Germany’s most exciting independent publishing houses, Voland & Quist Verlag. Headed by renowned translator Katy Derbyshire, V&Q Books will launch their first titles in autumn 2020, focusing distribution on the UK and Ireland, and will begin by publishing up to 5 to 6 books a year. V&Q Books will publish commercial, literary fiction and narrative non-fiction showcasing remarkable writing from Germany. Much of the writing is translated from German, as well as from other languages written within the country, and we hope to champion original English writing produced in Germany. Books will be published in high-quality flexcover format, at prices between 15 to 20 pounds. The first three, set for release in September 2020, will all be translated from German.

Lucy Fricke’s Daughters (tr. Sinead Crowe) tells the story of two women pushing forty on a road trip across Europe, each of them dealing with difficult dads along the way. A bestseller and booksellers’ favourite in Germany, the novel combines laughter and tears, life and death, friendship and family – and will appeal to anyone who’s ever been a daughter.

(Published September 2020)

Francis Nenik’s thrilling slice of narrative non-fiction, Journey through a Tragicomic Century (tr. Katy Derbyshire), is about the life of the forgotten writer Hasso Grabner, told with great joy in language and love of absurdity. The journey takes us from the Young Communists in 1920s Leipzig to wartime Crete, with Grabner falling from steelworks director to a vilified author banned from publishing his work in the GDR.

(Published September 2020)

Sandra Hoffmann’s Paula (tr. Katy Derbyshire) is a moving piece of autofiction about the writer’s relationship to her grandmother, a devout Swabian Catholic who refused to reveal who fathered her child, born late in 1946. Growing up in a family where silence reigns – what kind of person, what kind of writer does that produce?

(Published September 2020)

Future titles include books by Selim Özdoğan ● Isabel Bogdan ● Marica Bodrožić ● Ivana Sajko ● Marcel Beyer

"I am thrilled to be heading up this exciting new imprint, which I hope will help bridge the gap between Europe and the UK. Our books tell stories of complex identities and family relationships, migration, and the impact of world history on individual lives. They are beautifully written, translated and presented, and have a strong sense of place. We plan to bust plenty of myths, including the one about the Germans having no sense of humour."

Katy Derbyshire, Publisher V&Q Books