“The Cypriot” Andreas Kuomi Feels very much like the home-straight now and, I must admit, my reading choices have lost all chronology. This is largely because I had been struggling with finding books and harboured hopes of finding something that really excited me. But I needn’t have worried because ‘The Cypriot’, while not a literary … Continue reading 25. Cyprus
Author: eurread
24. Netherlands
“The Ten Thousand Things” Hans Konig; “The Evenings” Gerard Reve; “The Dinner” Herman Koch I found it hard to settle on a book for the Netherlands. There seemed to be quite a few out there, but whether it was tracking them down or finding one which caught my interest, this felt like more of a … Continue reading 24. Netherlands
23. France
“A Void” by Georges Perec. Translated from the French by Gilbert Adair. A book drawn up wholly without resorting to a particular symbol. “A Void” was jovial, ironic, sardonic and good to devour through my Christmas holidays. A conniving work of stunning difficulty which was as fun as it was absorbing. That’s about as much … Continue reading 23. France
22. Greece
“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
The European Reader 