Jadan, La Route - en allemand "Die Erfindung des Jazz im Donbass"

Aus dem Ukrainischen von Juri Durkot und Sabine Stöhr

»Zhadan ist ein überragendes Sprachtalent. Er kann krachend ironisch sein. Die Bilder, die er findet, sind überraschend und eingängig. Hinzu kommt ein robuster Sinn für Slapstik.«

Judith Leister, Neue Zürcher Zeitung

In expressive prose, Zhadan delivers a road novel from the edge of Europe that dares to dream the dream of freedom in a completely new way: as the search for home in a world without boundaries.

The success of his Democratic Youth Anthem (Гімн демократичної молоді, 2006, German edition by Suhrkamp 2009 under the title Hymne der demokratischen Jugend) cemented poet-performer Serhij Zhadan’s reputation as one of the most important young Ukrainian authors, alongside Yuri Andrukhovych. His latest novel is entitled Voroshilovgrad, a reference to the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which in the Soviet period was renamed in honour of military commander and politician Kliment Voroshilov. The industrial landscape of eastern Ukraine provides the real and imaginary setting for this Ukrainian »Easy Rider«. The novel centres on Herman, a young advertising executive who is rattled by an unexpected phone call: his brother, who runs a remote petrol station, has disappeared. In order to find his brother he must undertake an incredible journey, drifting off the beaten track like a nomad across the steppe.

»Here lies the power source of Zhadan’s writing – in linguistic passion« Die Zeit

»Serhij Zhadan, poet, performance artist and impresario, is one of the most important creative forces in modern Ukrainian alternative culture. His first novel absolutely bashes this into the reader. He writes desolately, brashly, deliriously, associatively, cleverly and with laugh-out-loud humour and great empathy for his characters. […] A book between Charles Bukowski, the Sex Pistols and the also-rans poetry of Aki Kaurismäkis.« KulturSpiegel on Depeche Mode

Source - Джерело : Вид. Сугркамп