Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Stories Books & Cafe, Los Angeles
An intricate, metaphysical, ambitious “psychogeography of the self” that both disrupts and elevates the 21st century vision of the novel. "Schattenfroh is extremely long and prodigiously learned, with scenes—and even sentences—that veer from one century to another, and with a taste for literary and art historical in-jokes that might try the patience of even the most erudite reader. All the more impressive, then, is Max Lawton’s translation, which renders Lentz’s flinty though extravagant German into English sentences that are clear, nimble, and frankly full of beans, capturing the propulsive energy of the original text without sacrificing its difficulty." —New York Review of Books "Lentz takes readers on a deep exploration of the relationship between art, language, suffering, and redemption. For those willing to go the distance, this monumental and taxing work offers rich rewards." —Publishers Weekly Michael Lentz is an award-winning German author, musician, and performer of experimental texts and sound poetry. Schattenfroh is his first book to be translated into English. He currently lives in Berlin. Max Lawton is a translator, novelist, and musician. He has translated many books by Vladimir Sorokin, including Blue Lard (NYRB Classics), Their Four Hearts, and Dispatches from the District Committee (both from Dalkey Archive Press). In conversation with Anahid Nersessian. Anahid is a Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles. (September 2025)