review
Ruge’s assured debut novel covers four generations of an East German family and centres around the ninetieth birthday party of a life-long Party hardliner and functionary – on 1 October 1989. Everyone knows what is going on, but no one is allowed to mention ‘certain events’.
The twists and turns of the plot are skilfully interwoven, the dialogue crisp, and the constant switching between generations and characters is handled with a sure touch. The Fading Light is a moving family saga with deft touches of humour, of special interest for its panorama of East German life and ideas through the late twentieth century.
about the author
Eugen Ruge was born in the Urals and studied mathematics in Berlin. Before leaving the GDR for the West in 1988 he was a writer, contributing to documentaries made at the state-owned DEFA Studios. Since 1989 he has been writing and translating for theatres and broadcasters, and periodically teaches at the Berlin University of the Arts.
rights information
Translation rights sold to:
World English (Graywolf Press), Spain (Anagrama), Italy (Mondadori), France (Éditions), First (F), The Netherlands (De Geus), Greece (FI)
Translation rights available from:
Rowohlt Verlag GmbH
Email: carolin.mungard@rowohlt.de
translation assistance
This book is outside of the five-year window for guaranteed assistance with English language translation. We suggest getting in touch with the relevant funding body for an informal conversation about the possibility of support. Please refer to to our recommendations page for books that are currently covered by our funding guarantee.
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All recommendations from Autumn 2011