Ulrike Almut Sandig: »Im Orkan«

The streets of Volnopol change overnight: dunes blow across the promenade, artificial-looking hurricanes tear through the Ukrainian coastal town. What appears to be a natural phenomenon quickly turns out to be an existential threat. Are the storms coming from Russia?

In the midst of this chaos, Maksym makes a career for himself - as a dealer of synthetic drugs. His grandfather Bohdan, who survived the Gulag, teaches him chess and quotes Pushkin. His mother Nadia, a heart surgeon at the city hospital, trusts neither the state nor the people. But as the city threatens to disappear into the sand, the family also begins to totter.

In her new novel, Ulrike Almut Sandig spans a symbolic arc over the pressing questions of our time. How much do we need each other in the storm?

Ulrike Almut Sandig has already published volumes of poetry, audio books, short story collections and a novel. Her poems have been filmed and translated.

Henrik Szántó is an author, spoken word artist and presenter based in Hanover.