Half Swimmer

by Katja Oskamp

£12.99

Half Swimmer. Noun. A German term for one who has recently learnt to swim but hasn’t yet mastered the technique.

Growing up in 1980s East Germany, as the daughter of an army officer and a teacher, Tanja seems set to become a model citizen of the German Democratic Republic. Except she has other ideas. And so, it turns out, does the course of history.

Half Swimmer is a collection of stories from one life, following a young girl as she attempts to forge her own identity under the social pressures of both the GDR, and the capitalism of a unified Germany.

160pp, paperback with flaps, £12.99
ISBN: 978-1-916806-00-9
Publication date: 17 September 2024

Press & Reviews

Praise for Marzahn, Mon Amour

'Katja Oskamp knows how to capture the essence of people beautifully. They really come to life in her portraits. A powerful book.' - Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany

'Every so often, you come across a novel whose simple, direct honesty knocks you sideways. There is an unaffected humility and generosity about Katja Oskamp’s Marzhan, Mon Amour that speaks to the value of community and to the dignity of ordinary lives.' - The Dublin Literary Award Judges, 2023

'This is a book full of charm and love, making substance from small stories.' - John Self, The Irish Times

'Delightful' - Ken Follett, bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth, The Evening and the Morning and A Column of Fire

'It's rare to come across a book of such captivating warmth and humour. There is something magical at play in Marzahn, Mon Amour. I loved every page of it.' - Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul and Panenka

'A real gem ... full of tough wit and resilience.' - Catherine Taylor, The Irish Times

'Charming' - Exberliner

'Warm and witty' -The Bookseller

'You had no idea you needed the great contemporary German chiropody novel in your life. A portrait of a community made up of intimate warm, funny stories, unlikely and irresistible.' - Big Issue

'Oskamp is a curious observer and gleans intimate insights into the lives of the many who carried on as best they could when things got tough... Marzahn, Mon Amour captures a piece of modern history and brings it right down to the human level.' - Catherine Venner, World Literature Today

'Oskamp offers a rich reflection on the passage of time and the nature of community in a neighborhood that has long been invisible.' - Necessary Fiction

'Bereavement, suicide, addiction and disability are just some of the themes explored in this absorbingly intimate novella. From the humdrum to the dramatic, it offers a fascinating window into daily life and a touching tribute to Marzahn and its inhabitants.' - Becky Danks, European Literature Network

About The Book

Author

Katja Oskamp was born in 1970 in Leipzig and grew up in Berlin. Her debut collection of stories Halbschwimmer was published in 2003. In 2007 she published her first novel Die Staubfängerin. Her book Marzahn, Mon Amour, published by Hanser with the subtitle ‘Stories of a Chiropodist’, was selected for the ‘Berlin Reads One Book’ campaign and thus literally became the talk of the town. The English translation of Marzahn, Mon Amour, published by Peirene Press in 2022, was awarded the 2023 Dublin Literary Award.

Translator

Jo Heinrich found her ideal career in her middle years, and graduated in 2018 with an MA in Translation from the University of Bristol. She was shortlisted for the 2020 Austrian Cultural Forum London Translation Prize and the 2019 John Dryden Translation Competition and won the Dublin Literary Award 2023 for her translation of Marzahn, Mon Amour. She translates from French and German, and she lives just outside Bristol with her family.

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