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A Very German Coup

Jan Wilm

‘The suspected ringleader was a 71-year-old real-estate developer with an engineering degree.’

Jan Wilm on an attempted coup in 2022.

How Lustig is It

Peter Kuras

‘Germans don’t really have a word for ‘funny’, which seems appropriate enough.’

Peter Kuras on German humour.

Out of Germany

Michael Hofmann

‘It is pleasant – to me, confusingly so.’

Michael Hofmann on returning to Germany.

Notebook 2021

Peter Handke

‘‘Order is half of life’ – and the other half? – You get one guess.’

Extracts from Peter Handke’s notebook, translated by Peter Kuras.

Reunified German Images

Fredric Jameson

‘Political or not, the element Rauch works in is certainly what we call History.’

Fredric Jameson on the paintings of Neo Rauch.

Israel in 600 Words or Less

Etgar Keret

‘My mind contains a lot of good answers to bad questions’

Etgar Keret on the impossibility of representing a nation.

Ed’s Things

Robert Glück

‘The past is no longer behind me but in front.’

An extract from About Ed by Robert Glück.

The Solution is Within

Évelyne Trouillot

‘How are we living? Every morning we wake up and wonder what happened last night.’

Évelyne Trouillot on the crisis in Haiti.

A Boat Ride to the Confluence of the Two Niles

Isma’il Kushkush

‘April 2022 marked my first visit to my ancestral homeland in seven years.’

Memoir by Isma’il Kushkush.

A World of Networks and Vines

Marie Darrieussecq

‘No one is alone in their bed anymore.’

An excerpt from Sleepless by Marie Darrieussecq, translated by Penny Hueston.

Memory of Light

Prabda Yoon

‘Until a few years ago, to even mention the monarchy with a questioning undertone was taboo.’

Prabda Yoon on democracy in Thailand.

My Time Machine

Arthur Asseraf

‘How do we imagine the past of those we love?’

Arthur Asseraf on family and fractured memories.

Introduction

Sigrid Rausing

‘I came to the magazine in 2005 and took over the editorship in 2013.’

Sigrid Rausing introduces her last issue.

Reports from the Front: Winter 2023

Peter Englund

‘I repeat: the landscape of war is an acoustic landscape.’

Peter Englund on the war in Ukraine, translated from the Swedish by Sigrid Rausing.