Ein junger Mann versucht, die Trennung von der Frau, die ihn verlassen hat, zu verarbeiten. Rückhaltlos stellt er sich seinen Gefühlen von Einsamkeit und Begehren, Selbstmitleid und Liebe. Vor allem aber schreibt er: Aphorismen und Episoden aus seinem Alltag, über Literatur, über seine Träume und seine Trauer. Am Nullpunkt des Verlusts, an dem er sich befindet, erweist sich Literatur sowohl als Rettung wie auch als Hindernis. Wie auch die Liebe, verbindet sie Alltägliches und Erhabenes, Kunst und Körperlichkeit. Ironisch, melancholisch und zärtlich – „Rastlos“ ist ein kleines Juwel und ein hochmoderner Liebesroman, der lange im Gedächtnis bleibt.

Bulgaria? Backward, corrupt and lazy? As the new ambassador in London, Varadin Dimitrov, is designated to enhance the image of Bulgaria in the West. When he rings the bell at the respectable address of the embassy in Kensington one morning, he finds that there is indeed a lot of work ahead of him: a provincial mayor at hangover breakfast, the cook at loggerheads with his wife, the vacuum cleaner – broken. Indeed, the civilized world owes thanks to Bulgaria for the invention of the water closet, but that does not help the new ambassador on his mission, nor does the fact that his predecessor refuses to clear the house as he is desperately fighting his return home. And above all: the freezer in the cellar houses ducks kidnapped by the Russian Mafia. Mission impossible? Varadin Dimitrov seeks assistance with a PR-Agency that promises him access to London's high society – glitter, glamour and dozens of celebrities. One of them is his cleaning lady; she leads a double life and moreover she's been dead for the longest time. There's something terribly wrong here, isn't it …. Alek Popov tells of the East in the West and the West in the East. In this novel full of wonderful characters he tells a story of pure folly, sounding as if all of this were not in the least bit funny. English translation available

Alek Popov's poignant political satire about the heroic partisans of World War II will tickle and delight all fans of black humor. In the forests of Bulgaria, the attractive twin sisters Kara and Jara join a group of partisans in their fight against fascism. Because of their bourgeois background, they are quickly accused of being traitors. Separated on the run, they do not meet again until several years later – but in the meantime, Jara has changed sides… Sharp-tongued and bold, Popov mixes an explosive cocktail of action-packed fights, broken utopias and tragi-comic heroes. Full of suspense, wit and insanity, his novel makes sure that – at least ideologically – nothing stays in place. Alek Popov was born in 1966, degree in Bulgarian philology, lives and works in Sofia. In total he has published six story collections and one novel. His stories and his novel "Mission: London" have been translated into several languages, among others: English, French and Hungarian.

One morning a man happens upon a newspaper ad in which someone – now that the free market has found its way to Bulgaria – offers services as an executioner. The man is curious. After all, 50 USD aren’t that much for a once in a lifetime experience, even if it ends in death. Then there’s Viktorija, who not only loses her heart, but also her head. What starts as an online romance ends up in a box in the fridge. … By the way: what do you do in Bulgaria when the fridge is as empty as your stomach? No problem, as long as Grandpa is still around. … That’s what a large family is for, isn’t it? Don’t be surprised, a lot of things are different in Bulgaria, but not everything is bad. This is what these stories by Alex Popov are about, delightfully told and compiled in this book. Where the fun ends for others, it just gets started for Alex Popov. He is a highly talented satirist, keen-witted and hilarious, a master of slapstick, always dancing on the edge. This is shameless humor: humor for the advanced.

Eine namenlose Frau reist alleine nach Lissabon, Berlin und Brüssel. In jeder Stadt beginnt sie eine Beziehung: einmal mit einem Mann, einmal mit einer Frau und zuletzt mit einem viel jüngeren Mann. Drei Begegnungen zwischen Anonymität und Begehren, drei Großstädte, drei Paare, die sich im Trubel einer atemlosen Gegenwart finden. Alle sind auf der Suche, versuchen aber zugleich im Schutz der Unverbindlichkeit zu bleiben. Immer wieder lässt die Frau sich auf Nähe ein, Intimität entsteht, ohne zu wissen, ob der Andere Gefahr oder Trost bedeutet. Immer wieder wird dem Fremden die Türe geöffnet, um nicht in der Kälte und Einsamkeit der Großstädte zu ersticken. „Trost“ erzählt mit großer Unmittelbarkeit von der Liebe in Zeiten der Rastlosigkeit.

One hot day in August Elena celebrates her 88th birthday. Everyone is there: her daughters Martina and Renate, her grandson Daniel and his girlfriend Sasha. Their celebration is abundant, with lots of honey schnapps, wild polkas, and much joy. And yet, all Elena can think about is Martina’s childhood friend Rike who fell to her death from the cherry tree right here in the garden fifty years ago. Tina Pruschmann’s intense and heart-felt debut novel delves deep into the lives and fates of its characters. It examines those special moments in life, those turning points that determine our future. They are days of irrevocable decisions; days when time and all its promises and desires come to a standstill.

An der einsamsten Küste Islands, in einem kleinen Dorf in den Westfjorden, in dem die Zeit stillzustehen scheint, lebt Halldór, genannt Dóri, als Fischer. Täglich fährt er auf einem kleinen Kutter hinaus und zieht Kabeljau, Seehasen oder Hering aus dem Meer. In seinem Tagebuch schreibt Dóri über das Wetter und die Natur, die sein Leben bestimmen, über philosophische Fragen, die ihn beschäftigen, und über seine Suche nach der Liebe. Der alte, weise Jónmundur, der selbst nach einem Schlaganfall ans Bett gefesselt ist, ist es, der dem jungen Mann die Schönheit der Welt offenbart. Als Dóri vor einer großen Entscheidung steht, ermutigt ihn Jónmundur, um die Frau seines Lebens zu kämpfen.