Rome lies somewhere in Russia... - Russian literature in German translation 2006

Although the number of translations of Russian novels and poetry to German is below the annual average, there are several pleasant trends. At a time when prose or non-fiction prose is being pushed, it is impressive to see that several publishing houses have the courage to produce volumes of poetry which offer not only good adaptations but are pleasing to the eye in terms of layout and design. Among the novels, there are surprises and real discoveries, including demanding works by Leonid Tsypkin and Sergei Gandlevskii on the oppressive atmosphere of "stagnation". With few exceptions, however, the copious supply of new Russian short stories remains beyond the scope of German publishing houses, which, for economic considerations, prefer to gamble on mystery and fantasy.