Andrzej Tichý paints a delirious portrait of an excluded community of nomads, full of potent fuel and dancing to a different beat. Translated by Nichola Smalley.

From sprawling housing projects to underground clubs and squat parties, Wretchedness is a blistering trip through the underbelly of Europe’s cities. Powered by a furious, unpredictable beat, this is a paean to brotherhood, to those who didn’t make it however hard they fought, and a visceral indictment of the poverty that took them.

Longlisted
The 2021 International Booker Prize
Published by
And Other Stories
Publication date

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Andrzej Tichý

Andrzej Tichý

About the Author

Andrzej Tichy was born in Prague to a Polish mother and a Czech father. He has lived in Sweden since 1981.
More about Andrzej Tichý
Nichola Smalley

Nichola Smalley

About the Translator

Nichola Smalley is a translator of Swedish and Norwegian literature.
More about Nichola Smalley

Other nominated books by Nichola Smalley

A System So Magnificent it is Blinding