Dana Grigorcea

Dana Grigorcea
Die nicht sterben

In Romania of the past and present day, as introduced to us by the first-person narrator of this burlesque, grotesque novel, it is vampires who never die. The blood-thirsty Count Dracula is not the only undead tourist attraction in the post-reunification world: the spirit of feared Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu is similarly reluctant to depart, while despotism and greed remain entrenched forms of vampirism. In a book as political as it is poetic, Dana Grigorcea lays bare realities and absurdities, interweaving contemporary criticism, legend and invention into a gleefully plotted narrative, creating a biting work of magic realism that will make your skin crawl: for those who never die lurk far beyond the borders of Transylvania.

Die nicht sterben

Penguin Random House, Munich
ISBN 978-3-328-60153-1

Translation rights: Gesche Wendebourg, gesche.wendebourg@penguinrandomhouse.de

Photos: BAK / Julien Chavaillaz