Alhierd Bacharevič (Belarus/ Germany)
Europe’s Dogs
What immediately captivates are the idiosyncratic characters: there’s Maŭčun, who wants to flee to the West with his goose—until a spy falls from the sky. A corpse in Berlin’s Rose Garden sets investigator Skima on a trail that leads him through European bookshops into a sealed-off superstate. And Oleg Olegovich from Minsk, who renounces all languages and invents his own: Balbuta—his mysterious lover. The jury writes, among other things: “This wild mix of political thriller, epic, adventure story, satire, and fairy tale weaves together references ranging from James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Selma Lagerlöf, and Joseph Brodsky to Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Nabokov, and Paul Celan.”
“A breathtaking spectacle. Fairy-tale imagery blends with absurd humor in this prophetic political thriller, in which Russia and Belarus have become a dictatorial superstate.” — The Guardian
Moderation: Volker Weichsel
Narrator: Jan Jaroszek
Entry: €10/ reduced €5
