Spiegel Bestseller. Selected for New Books In German
Literary Fiction
Debut
"One of the best and most important novels of this year" Stern "Sparse, bright, clear language, every sentence, every word hits the mark." Volker Weidemann, Der Spiegel
Bold, relentless – with every sentence hitting like a punch.
Rights sold to: Italy (Keller Editore)
Punching the World
Mit der Faust in die Welt schlagen
Roman
The two brothers, Philipp and Tobias, grow up together in the rural parts of East Germany. For their families and their neighbours the enthusiasm and hope of instant prosperity that seized the country after the fall of the wall never became reality. Quite the opposite, they find themselves without social and ideological structure, spat out into a new world they don’t understand. Both brothers look for freedom and respite outside of their home. They do things all boys their age do. Everything rather harmless, until the day they see a swastika drawn on the school campus. And not far, a group of older boys cheering and cajoling. Philip is fascinated and drawn to their toughness and comraderie. He enjoys the evenings drinking and dreaming of a better future – a future for a stronger Germany… 2015, when both bothers are about to graduate from school, hundreds of thousands of refugees arrive all over Germany. Not everywhere the atmosphere is very welcoming. While Philipp has largely cut ties with his right-wing friends as well as with his family, it is Tobias who is swept away by the anti-refugee sentiments. What starts with protests, quickly escalates and culminates in a fatal night and their old school building going up in flames. And there is no going back.With Punching the World Lukas Rietzschel captures what is happening right now. Right now in Germany and in many other European countries. He puts his finger where it hurts. At the heart of the families, the intricate and contradicting life stories that often inevitably result in tragic events.
Zwei Brüder, ein Dorf in Ostsachsen und eine Wut, die immer größer wird
Philipp und Tobias wachsen in der Provinz Sachsens auf. Im Sommer flirrt hier die Luft über den Betonplatten, im Winter bricht der Frost die Straßen auf. Der Hausbau der Eltern scheint der Aufbruch in ein neues Leben zu sein. Doch hinter den Bäumen liegen vergessen die industriellen Hinterlassenschaften der DDR, schimmert die Oberfläche der Tagebauseen, hinter der Gleichförmigkeit des Alltags schwelt die Angst vor dem Verlust der Heimat. Die Perspektivlosigkeit wird für Philipp und Tobias immer bedrohlicher. Als es zu Aufmärschen in Dresden kommt und auch ihr Heimatort Flüchtlinge aufnehmen soll, eskaliert die Situation. Während sich der eine Bruder in sich selbst zurückzieht, sucht der andere ein Ventil für seine Wut. Und findet es.
Lukas Rietzschels Roman ist eine Chronik des Zusammenbruchs. Eine hochaktuelle literarische Auseinandersetzung mit unserem zerrissenen Land.
Lukas Rietzschel was born in Räckelwitz, East Saxony. He lives in Görlitz where he runs the Literaturhaus amongst other things. His first texts were published in Zeit Magazin. In 2016 he was awarded the Retzhof Prize for Young Literature. Punching the World is his first novel.
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