Book review: Next World Novella
By Matthias Politycki Translated by Anthea Bell Published by Peirene Press Next World Novella , the English translation of the German Jenseitsnovelle by Matthias Politycki, is the fourth title published by Pereine Press, which specialises in contemporary European literature. Hinrich Schepp wakes up one morning to find his wife Doro sitting at the desk. He thinks that she must have fallen asleep while editing one of his writings but as he gets nearer to her slumped figure, he realises that she is dead. Not wanting to let her go so quickly, he decides to read the last comments she wrote – her last words to him – while she’s still there with him. During the following hours he will experience a spectrum of emotions – tenderness, anger, forgiveness, astonishment – as he re-reads through Marek the Drunkard , his only attempt at novel-writing. Far from being simple comments on his style, what he finds on the margins is his wife’s account of their marriage. Years of a life shared misunderstan...