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Coverabbildung von "Mission: London"

Alek Popov Alexander Sitzmann (Translated by) - Mission: London

Bulgarien kommt, der ultimative Roman dazu ist schon da. Und: Er ist saukomisch.

Bulgaria? Backward, corrupt and lazy? As the new ambassador in London, Varadin Dimitrov, is designated to enhance the image of Bulgaria in the West. When he rings the bell at the respectable address of the embassy in Kensington one morning, he finds that there is indeed a lot of work ahead of him: a provincial mayor at hangover breakfast, the cook at loggerheads with his wife, the vacuum cleaner – broken. Indeed, the civilized world owes thanks to Bulgaria for the invention of the water closet, but that does not help the new ambassador on his mission, nor does the fact that his predecessor refuses to clear the house as he is desperately fighting his return home. And above all: the freezer in the cellar houses ducks kidnapped by the Russian Mafia. Mission impossible? Varadin Dimitrov seeks assistance with a PR-Agency that promises him access to London's high society – glitter, glamour and dozens of celebrities. One of them is his cleaning lady; she leads a double life and moreover she's been dead for the longest time. There's something terribly wrong here, isn't it …. Alek Popov tells of the East in the West and the West in the East. In this novel full of wonderful characters he tells a story of pure folly, sounding as if all of this were not in the least bit funny. English translation available

Book details

Aus dem Bulgarischen von Alexander Sitzmann
336 pages
format:110 x 190
ISBN: 9783701714575
Release date: 01.08.2006

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Authors
Alek Popov

was born in 1966, degree in Bulgarian philology, lives and works in Sofia. In total he has published six story collections and one novel. His stories and his novel "Mission: London" have been translated into several languages, among others: English, French and Hungarian.

 


 

Alexander Sitzmann (Translated by)

geboren 1974 in Stuttgart. Studium der Skandinavistik und Slawistik in Wien, forscht und lehrt an der dortigen Universität. Seit 1999 Übersetzer aus dem Englischen, Bulgarischen, Mazedonischen und den skandinavischen Sprachen. Andreas Sitzmann erhielt u.a. 2004 den Ehrenpreis des bulgarischen Kultusministeriums und 2016 den Österreichischen Staatspreis für literarische Übersetzung. Für den Residenz Verlag übersetzte er die Werke von Alek Popov, Ida Hegazi Høyer und Kenneth Moe. 

Press

"Mission: London“ is not only a very entertaining read, it also gives insight into the balcanic sensitivities at the beginning of the 21st century. Alek Popov succeeds with his fulminant debut novel. With much wit he presents a grotesque story that, in its exaggeration, sharpens the view for the essential. – Ulrich M.Schmid, NZZ

Alek Popov gives a magnificently unmasking satire of European East/West relations. With competence he toys with clichés and thruths, lets them merge into one another. A multitude of interesting characters are gathered around ambassador Dimitrov. They are all shaped out very well, and they – from the East and from the West alike – succumb to the absurdities of everyday life. "Mission: London“ is worth a read for many reasons. Not last of all, besides all the comic, linguistic virtuoso descriptions like this: "The vodka was ice-cold and smooth like a snowflake on Christmas day“. – 3sat, Christina Merklenbach

A truly european and funny novel in the tradition of P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and Tom Sharpe. Christo Kjosew

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Alek Popov's poignant political satire about the heroic partisans of World War II will tickle and delight all fans of black humor. In the forests of Bulgaria, the attractive twin sisters Kara and Jara join a group of partisans in their fight against fascism. Because of their bourgeois background, they are quickly accused of being traitors. Separated on the run, they do not meet again until several years later – but in the meantime, Jara has changed sides… Sharp-tongued and bold, Popov mixes an explosive cocktail of action-packed fights, broken utopias and tragi-comic heroes. Full of suspense, wit and insanity, his novel makes sure that – at least ideologically – nothing stays in place. Alek Popov was born in 1966, degree in Bulgarian philology, lives and works in Sofia. In total he has published six story collections and one novel. His stories and his novel "Mission: London" have been translated into several languages, among others: English, French and Hungarian.

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One morning a man happens upon a newspaper ad in which someone – now that the free market has found its way to Bulgaria – offers services as an executioner. The man is curious. After all, 50 USD aren’t that much for a once in a lifetime experience, even if it ends in death. Then there’s Viktorija, who not only loses her heart, but also her head. What starts as an online romance ends up in a box in the fridge. … By the way: what do you do in Bulgaria when the fridge is as empty as your stomach? No problem, as long as Grandpa is still around. … That’s what a large family is for, isn’t it? Don’t be surprised, a lot of things are different in Bulgaria, but not everything is bad. This is what these stories by Alex Popov are about, delightfully told and compiled in this book. Where the fun ends for others, it just gets started for Alex Popov. He is a highly talented satirist, keen-witted and hilarious, a master of slapstick, always dancing on the edge. This is shameless humor: humor for the advanced.

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