In her thoughtful account, Michelle Schreiber describes the Leipzig book fair— from its unannounced backyard readings, to its awards, she covers it all, and does so both in German and in translation.

Camille McCarthy gives us her thoughts on consuming Russian culture in an ethical way. Her thought-provoking manifesto encompasses the legacy of empire and the regime’s official patronage initiatives, as well as the thorny question of how to define a nation’s culture.

In this thoughtfully considered article, staff writer Beattie Green sensitively reviews Olivia Wenzel’s debut novel 1000 Serpentinen Angst. In doing so, she explores the questions it raises, which, in some way or another, come to affect all of us.

Sofia Johanson, editor of the Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia section, comments on the ascendance of the far-right in Germany with the help of a novel published in 1947.

Jenny Frost explores the ideology of ‘lusotropicalism’ through the lens of postcolonial Mozambican literature.

Daphne Pleming reviews Elisa Shua Dusapin’s book Winter in Sokcho, exploring how the author prompts us to consider how we perceive ourselves and the people around us.

Tom Paterson discusses the fascinating history of clandestine literature in the Soviet Union and its travestied perception in the West.