Sasha Marianna Salzmann

Roman

Im Menschen muss alles herrlich sein

Wer sagt dir, wer du bist? Davon und von der unstillbaren Sehnsucht nach dem Leben selbst und seiner herausfordernden Grenzenlosigkeit erzählt Sasha Marianna Salzmann in ihrem Debütroman Außer sich. Intensiv, kompromisslos und im besten Sinn politisch. Sie sind zu zweit, von Anfang an, die Zwillinge Alissa und Anton. In der kleinen Zweizimmerwohnung im Moskau der postsowjetischen Jahre verkrallen sie sich in die Locken des anderen, wenn die Eltern aufeinander losgehen. Später, in der westdeutschen Provinz, streunen sie durch die Flure des Asylheims, stehlen Zigaretten aus den Zimmern fremder Familien. Und noch später, als Alissa schon ihr Mathematikstudium in Berlin geschmissen hat, weil es sie vom Boxtraining abhält, verschwindet Anton spurlos. Irgendwann kommt eine Postkarte aus Istanbul – ohne Text, ohne Absender. In der flirrenden, zerrissenen Stadt am Bosporus und in der eigenen Familiengeschichte macht sich Alissa auf die Suche – nach dem verschollenen Bruder, aber vor allem nach einem Gefühl von Zugehörigkeit jenseits von Vaterland, Muttersprache oder Geschlecht.

Außer sich

Beside Myself is the disturbing and exhilarating story of a family across four generations. At its heart is one woman’s search for her twin brother. When Anton goes missing and the only clue is a postcard sent from Istanbul, Alissa leaves her life in Berlin to find him. Without her twin, the sharer of her memories and the mirror of her own self, Ali is lost. In a city steeped in political and social changes, where you can buy gender-changing drugs on the street, Ali’s search—for her missing brother, for her identity—will take her on a journey for connection and belonging. Beside Myself is a brilliant literary debut about belonging, about family and love, and about the enigmatic nature of identity. ‘Salzmann thoughtfully and cleverly addresses the themes of memory, identity, and migration, asking if language, nationality, or gender are important for our self-definition.’ World of Literature Today

Beside Myself

Como se pode ser «belo» — «o rosto, a alma, a roupa, os pensamentos», como diz Tchekov — num país onde reina a repressão e só quem se submete a um regime restritivo consegue sobreviver? E como poderá esta experiência ser superada quando quem a sofreu não fala dela, nem mesmo depois de emigrar para o Ocidente, nem mesmo com a própria filha? Em meados dos anos noventa, Lena e Tatiana abandonaram a Ucrânia – uma grávida, outra com a filha pequena – e foram viver para a Alemanha, onde tiveram de começar do zero. Mas Nina e Edi, as raparigas que há muito deixaram de se interessar pelas suas origens, não deixam de perguntar?se o que verão as mães, com o seu «olhar soviético», quando espreitam pelas cortinas das casas onde hoje vivem. Porém, quando se juntam para a festa do 50.o aniversário de Lena, serão forçadas a admitir que, afinal, partilham uma história comum. Seguindo o percurso de quatro vidas e os vínculos sempre frágeis entre mães e filhas, Sasha Marianna Salzmann relata-nos uma época de mudanças radicais na Ucrânia numa narrativa com imagens poderosas, repleta de empatia e realismo.

No Ser Humano Tudo Tem de Ser Belo

Imogen Taylor

A brilliant literary debut about belonging, family, and love, and the enigmatic nature of identity. Beside Myself is the disturbing and exhilarating story of a family across four generations. At its heart is a twin’s search for her brother. When Anton goes missing and the only clue is a postcard sent from Istanbul, Ali leaves her life in Berlin to find him. Without her twin, the sharer of her memories and the mirror of her own self, Ali is lost. In a city steeped in political and social upheaval, where you can buy gender-changing drugs on the street, Ali’s search—for her missing brother, for her identity—will take her on a journey for connection and belonging.

A Novel

Max Czollek

Desintegration' discusses the question of a Jewish identity among a third generation of Jews living in Germany in quite diverse ways?Soviet migrants, immigrants from Israel, as well as Jews from the group of German survivors or returnees?and thus creates a space for self-reflection. With its thematic emphasis, the book, which accompanies a conference and an exhibition at the Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin, is innovative and provocative at the same time. 00Exhibition: Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin, Germany (06-08.05.2016).

Sasha Marianna Salzmann

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