Black Saturdays

  • “Attention! History comes alive here!” Elfriede Jelinek
  • For readers of Joshua Cohen, Emmanuel Carrère, Philipp Roth and Thomas Bernhard
  • English sample translation by Simon Pare available
  • Topics: Jewish identity in the diaspora, antisemitism, historical trauma

Ari, the novel’s first-person narrator, believed the worst was behind him. After fleeing communist Czechoslovakia in the 1970s, his family found a home in Hamburg's legendary Grindelviertel. Yet, upon his arrival, the neighborhood's once-flourishing Jewish life had been replaced by left-wing students dreaming of Israel’s end. By the 'golden decade of pop' in Munich in the 80s, the specter of old antisemitism seemed to vanish. Ari never imagined its return - not until October 2023, when Hamas terrorists, fueled by exterminatory rage, attacked Southern Israel. Since that day, Ari asks himself where this eternal desire for the annihilation of the Jews originates. This thoughtful, gripping, and deeply poetic novel offers the attempt of an answer.

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  • Publisher: Kiepenheuer&Witsch
  • Release: 03.09.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-462-01211-8
  • 304 Pages
  • Author: Maxim Biller
Buchcover von Black Saturdays: Roman eines Jahres
Maxim Biller Black Saturdays
Portrait von Maxim Biller
© Christian Werner
Maxim Biller

Maxim Biller , born in Prague in 1960, has lived in Germany since 1970. His books include his memoir Der Gebrauchte Jude ( The Second-Hand Jew) (2009) and the novella Im Kopf von Bruno Schulz ( Inside the Head of Bruno Schulz) (2013). His bestseller Sechs Koffer ( Six Suitcases) was shortlisted for the German Book Prize 2018. Most recently, he published the novel Mama Odessa (2023). His books have been translated into numerous languages .