Hopscotch Translation Series: Thorsten Nagelschmidt & Tim DeMarco

Friday, April 26, 2019 - 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Thorsten Nagelschmidt and Tim Demarco

Penn Book Center 130 S. 34th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104

Please join us for the 10th installment of our HOPSCOTCH TRANSLATION SERIES:a reading and discussion with Thorsten Nagelschmidt—author of FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH—in conversation with translator Tim DeMarco!About FOR WHAT IT'S WORTHWhat to do with the windfall? – When his father dies, bohemian bartender Meise takes the unexpected inheritance and embarks on a journey. The plan? Spend, not save. He swore to himself he would do it all differently than his father. But, after road-tripping across America and partying all over Europe, he doesn’t seem to fit back into his old life in Berlin.So, with the remaining money he sets out on one last trip: to a vineyard in rural West Germany. There he is confronted with a culture shock unlike any other and is forced to ask himself the questions about his own life he's been trying to avoid.Tragic yet entertaining, with acute observations and no shortage of black humor, Nagelschmidt allows his (anti)hero to fail – by his own hand or others’ is up to the reader to decide.“The verbal imagery is just as cool and casual as it is revealing, the plot is just as engaging as it is dire. Nagelschmidt will wear you down, and it’s exactly that which makes reading this so wonderful.”—Linus Volkmann, Intro Magazine“This here has a big heart and yet at the same time a fist hidden in the pocket. It gives voice to the things we don’t dare to say out loud, it’s ruthless, crazy and engaging - all of that in a polished language and a perfect rhythm.”—Markus Kavka, MTV“The intensity … increases with each page, culminating in a drunken catharsis. Reading this book is a bit like riding a roller coaster. You don’t want an abyss to open up in front of you, but are still somehow excited that it’s about to happen.”—Mille Petrozza, KreatorTHORSTEN NAGELSCHMIDT, born 1976 in West Germany, is an author, musician, and artist. Until 2009, he was the singer, lyricist, and guitarist of the band Muff Potter. He has had three novels and a collection of stories and photographs published, most recently Der Abfall der Herzen, published by S. Fischer Verlag in 2018. Nagelschmidt lives in Berlin.TIM DEMARCO is a teacher, translator, and writer. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his master’s degree from Middlebury College. He currently lives in New Jersey. Event date: Friday, April 26, 2019 - 6:30pm to 8:00pmEvent address: Penn Book Center130 S. 34th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104