Synopses & Reviews
“Gone, finito, The End, I say. A father who puts an end to it all before he wears down the whole family deserves more praise than damnation.” Two sisters travel to Sofia—in a convoy of luxury limousines arranged by a fellow Bulgarian exile—to bury their less-than-beloved father. Like tourists, they are chauffeured by the ever-charming Ruben Apostoloff—one sister in the back seat, one in the passenger seat, one sharp-tongued and aggressive, the other polite and considerate. In a caustic voice, Apostoloff shows them the treasures of his beloved country: the peacock-eye pottery (which contains poisonous dye), the Black Sea coast (which is utterly destroyed), the architecture (a twentieth-century crime). His attempts to win them over seem doomed to fail, as the sisters’ Bulgarian heritage is a heavy burden—their father, a successful doctor and melancholy immigrant, appears in their dreams still dragging the rope with which he hanged himself. An account of a daughter’s bitterly funny reckoning with her father and his country, laden with linguistic wit and black humor, Apostoloff will introduce the unique voice of Sibylle Lewitscharoff to a new and eager audience.
Synopsis
Gone, finito, The End, I say. A father who puts an end to it all before he wears down the whole family deserves more praise than damnation. Two sisters travel to Sofia in a convoy of luxury limousines arranged by a fellow Bulgarian exile to bury their less-than-beloved father. Like tourists, they are chauffeured by the ever-charming Ruben Apostoloff one sister in the back seat, one in the passenger seat, one sharp-tongued and aggressive, the other polite and considerate. In a caustic voice, Apostoloff shows them the treasures of his beloved country: the peacock-eye pottery (which contains poisonous dye), the Black Sea coast (which is utterly destroyed), the architecture (a twentieth-century crime). His attempts to win them over seem doomed to fail, as the sisters Bulgarian heritage is a heavy burden their father, a successful doctor and melancholy immigrant, appears in their dreams still dragging the rope with which he hanged himself.An account of a daughter s bitterly funny reckoning with her father and his country, laden with linguistic wit and black humor, Apostoloff will introduce the unique voice of Sibylle Lewitscharoff to a new and eager audience.
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About the Author
Sibylle Lewitscharoff has written essays and radio plays, and is the author of five novels, most recently
Consummatus.
Katy Derbyshire is a Berlin-based translator from London. She has translated many German writers.�
Table of Contents
On the Road with Rumen
Do Excuse Me, Please
Meat!
How Much?
Heres Burning at You, Kid
Gold
Gardens
Black Casings
The Wallflower
Federal Cross of Merit
Shumen
Crackling Wings
A Happy Couple
Jackie
To the Sea
Varna
Roxy
Potpourri
Poppy Eyes
NesseBar
Onward!
Sofia
The Rest Remains a Secret