Clemens Meyer’s dazzling, dizzying tour de force chronicles the growth of the sex industry in the former East Germany over the last 30 years. Translated by Katy Derbyshire.

Meyer charts the rise and rise of the sex trade in the former GDR, from absolute prohibition to full legality in the 20 years following the country’s reunification. The focus is on a hooligan turned landlord, but we hear a chorus of other voices:  the prostitutes, their clients, small-time gangsters, an ex-jockey searching for his drug-addict daughter, a detective… Time shifts and stretches, people die and come to life again, as Meyer constantly challenges his readers to keep up.

Longlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2017
Published by
Fitzcarraldo Editions
Publication date

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Clemens Meyer

Clemens Meyer

About the Author

Clemens Meyer was born in 1977 in Halle and lives in Leipzig, Germany. He worked as a security guard, forklift driver and construction worker before becoming a published novelist.
More about Clemens Meyer
Katy Derbyshire

Katy Derbyshire

About the Translator

Katy Derbyshire, originally from London, has lived in Berlin for over 20 years. She helped to establish the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, awarded annually since 2017.
More about Katy Derbyshire

Other nominated books by Clemens Meyer

While We Were Dreaming

Other nominated books by Katy Derbshire

While We Were Dreaming