“Adults in the Room” by Yanis Varoufakis This reading list wouldn’t feel complete without a book on the financial crisis, specifically the eurozone crisis, which engulfed Europe from roughly 2010 onwards. While the tumult and fury of those days are somewhat forgotten amongst everything that has happened since, the EU will no doubt be judged … Continue reading 22. Greece
21. Hungary
"The Paul Street Boys" by Ferenc Molnar. Translated from the Hungarian by Luis Rittenberg. I had wanted to read this book ever since it was recommended by a Hungarian colleague. It is, I was told, the childhood story with which all Hungarians (and many Italians) grow up; a classic tale of boyhood loyalty and schoolyard … Continue reading 21. Hungary
20. Poland
"Drive your plow over the bones of the dead" by Olga Tokarczuk. Translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. If you were to invent a parodic title for a certain type of European novel, I think this would be it. An allusion to the peasant lifestyle that has sustained Europeans over the centuries, to a … Continue reading 20. Poland
19. Germany III
Stasiland, Anna Funder The third book I read from Germany dealt with perhaps the most unappreciated - or unresolved - part of its recent history: the reign of the autocratic German Democratic Republic (DDR) and their state police, the Stasi. When Germany was divided after the Second World War the Soviets (occupying the eastern states … Continue reading 19. Germany III
18. Sweden
"The Man Who Smiled" Henning Mankell. Translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson. I havered for a long time over a book for Sweden. As I trawled through online lists recommending The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and other thrillers I admit to wondering if there wasn’t something rather more heavyweight in the pantheon of … Continue reading 18. Sweden
17. Slovakia
"The Equestrienne" - Uršul’a Kovalyk. Translated from the Slovak by Julia and Peter Sherwood. This was a short book, only 80 pages in the English translation, yet it packed in a rather beautiful story; effortlessly universal while at the same time speaking some intriguing truths about the collapse of Communism and transition to a capitalist … Continue reading 17. Slovakia
16. Estonia
Diary of a Blood Donor - Mati Unt A retelling of Dracula set in Communist Estonia. Who could resist such a book? Never mind that I haven’t read “Dracula” or that Mati Unt seemingly writes post-modernist books and that’s always a little perplexing, this definitely seemed worth a go. Was it? It took me a … Continue reading 16. Estonia
15. Romania
"The Land of Green Plums" Herta Muller. Translated from the German by Michael Hofmann. If anyone ever doubts the disabling, debilitating impact of authoritarian regimes, have them read this book. If you have ever believed, in your darkest moments, that something is worth the sacrifice of liberty or constraint of expression, then this book is … Continue reading 15. Romania
14. Slovenia
"Joyce's Pupil" Drago Jančar. Various translators. I had been struggling for some time to find a suitable book for Slovenia so was glad to come across Drago Jančar’s name. I was gladder still that a publisher had seen fit to translate this collection of short stories into English. Jančar is a famous author in Slovenia … Continue reading 14. Slovenia
13. Lithuania
"Between Shades of Grey" Ruta Sepetys. It is interesting to reflect that, in contrast to the crimes of the Nazis, there is little popular culture on the horror of the Soviet gulags - at least in my experience. I feel I imbibed it in a vague and abstract way, without much in depth explanation or … Continue reading 13. Lithuania
12. Germany II
"A Woman in Berlin" Anonymous. Translated from the German by Philip Boehm. It was quite by chance that I heard about this novel, reading some article or other that I do not even remember. But when I knew it existed I really wanted to read it alongside the other books dealing with the war and … Continue reading 12. Germany II
11. Luxembourg
"Borderlands" - Roy Jacobsen. Translated: Don Bartlett and Dan Shaw. It would be very easy for a book to teach me something of Luxembourg, for I am afraid my only knowledge of the country comes from news reports on multinational tax avoidance and dodgy banking. Yet trying to find an English book on the place … Continue reading 11. Luxembourg
10. Finland
"Unknown Soldiers" - Vaino Linna. Trans from Finnish by Liesl Yamaguchi. I don’t know how to start describing this book nor the gradual, building effect it compressed into a few hundred, unpoetic, pages. It is like every war film I have seen yet far more human, wordly and affecting. It tells the moribund story of … Continue reading 10. Finland
9. Germany I
"Rosa Luxemburg" - Karl Frohlich . “Social Reform or Revolution”, “Organisational Questions of Russian Social Democracy” Rosa Luxemburg from “The Rosa Luxemburg Reader” eds. Peter Hudis and Kevin B. Anderson. Putting together this reading list I was quite intimidated by Germany, a country I have both studied and feel like I barely know. At the … Continue reading 9. Germany I
8. Denmark
"LUCKY PER (LYKKE PER)" - Henrik Pontippidan. Translator Naomi Lebowitz. I awarded this 4 stars on my Goodreads review. 4 stars grudgingly given, drawn out of me as Per’s long, frustrating quest for self-knowledge was dragged out of him. This is a coming-of-age tale scandi-noir style; the antithesis of every Hollywood movie, laced with Northern … Continue reading 8. Denmark
7. Ireland
"The Green Road" - Anne Enright. What do you expect from an Irish story? Family, guilt, so many words spoken but so much left unsaid, a grim, hope-crushing ending. Maybe this is just my inherited Celtic Catholic sensibilities. But this is what you got with the Green Road. The novel is about a family in … Continue reading 7. Ireland
6. Portugal
"Perreira Maintains" - Antonio Tabucchi. Translated from the Italian by Patrick Creagh. I had intended to only pick authors who were from the country I was reading, however, not only is the author something of an expert on Portugal, this was recommended to me by a Portuguese friend whose taste I trust. It felt like … Continue reading 6. Portugal
5. Spain
"Books Burn Badly" - Manuel Rivas. Translated from Galician by Jonathan Dunne. I found this book by chance after browsing in Daunt's bookshop in Marylebone, London; the only place I know where books are divided by country and those with a geographic reading list can search for gems with little previous knowledge. It was a … Continue reading 5. Spain
4. Czech Republic
"The Good Soldier Svejk" - Jaroslav Hasek. Translated by Cecil Parrott. Most compare the Good Soldier Svejk to Catch 22 (Joseph Heller) and they are not wrong: it is a riotous and ridiculous send up of war and military pretensions. Starting with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, we follow ordinary Private Svejk through various … Continue reading 4. Czech Republic
3. Belgium
"War and Turpentine" - Stefan Hertmans. Translated from Flemish: David McKay This was a sweet, nicely written account of one man's life, Hertmans' Grandfather - Urbain - based on, inspired by and transcribed from Urbain's memoirs, feverishly written at the end of his life and entrusted to Hertmans for publication. Hertmans' narrative goes further than … Continue reading 3. Belgium
2. Croatia
"Girl at War" - Sara Novic. I generally wanted to read the books in some form of chronological order, but almost immediately after starting my reading list I had to pick a title for my local book group and that came with responsibilities, not least that the book should be easy for everyone to get … Continue reading 2. Croatia
16. Estonia
"Diary of a Blood Donor" Mati Unt. Translated from the Estonian by Ants Ert. A retelling of Dracula set in Communist Estonia. Who could resist such a book? Never mind that I haven’t read “Dracula” or that Mati Unt seemingly writes post-modernist books and that’s always a little perplexing, this definitely seemed worth a go. … Continue reading 16. Estonia
The European Reader 