Eleanor Updegraff reads from Marlen Pelny’s THE REASON WE REMAIN (seeking a publisher)

An anti-thriller, anti-Berlin novel about bereavement and life in the wake of unimaginable trauma, The Reason We Remain is the second novel by German author Marlen Pelny. Praised for its sparing, lyrical prose and the satirical undertone that helps it to subvert two popular genres, this is a thoughtful and moving work with wide literary appeal.

In the wake of her daughter Etty’s random murder at the age of fourteen, Heide must work out how to go on living. Narrated by her closest friend, the novel follows her through the weeks that follow, introducing us to an elected family of mainly female friends and neighbours who rally round the bereaved mother even while dealing with their own grief. As well as presenting their personal relationships, the novel asks a series of wider questions about women’s safety – particularly in cities – and how governments and society at large respond to murders such as Etty’s.

This sample is taken from near the beginning of the novel, as Heide and her friends try to negotiate the immediate aftermath of Etty’s death.

Author bio
Marlen Pelny is a German author and musician. Her debut novel, Liebe / Liebe [Love / Love] (2021), was awarded the Klopstock Prize in 2022, and she has also published two volumes of poetry, Auftakt [Upbeat] (2013) and Wir müssen noch die Tiere erschlagen [We still need to slay the animals] (2013). She is a member of the band Zuckerklub and one of the initiators of the artist group “augenpost”, who paste poems on placards around Leipzig and other cities. Instagram @marlenpelny

Translator bio
Eleanor Updegraff is a translator, writer and editor working from German into English. Her most recent translation, Annabelle Hirsch’s A History of Women in 101 Objects, was published by Canongate in 2023. She has a particular interest in contemporary Austrian literature and currently lives between London and Vienna.


For rights information please contact Eva Ganzer at Haymon Verlag: [email protected]

**FUNDING FOR ENGLISH TRANSLATION GUARANTEED FROM NEW BOOKS IN GERMAN**: https://www.new-books-in-german.com/translation-funding/

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