This week we look at the German bestseller Old Country by Dörte Hansen, a debut novel which has been on Der Spiegel's list for 28 consecutive weeks. The upmarket commercial novel is about Vera, who has resided in a farmhouse for over 60 years, and whose life changes when her niece unexpectedly shows up at her door.
Book title: Altes Land (Old Country)
Original publisher: Knaus Verlag, Verlagsgruppe Random House (Germany)
Publication date: February
Format: Hardcover
Author: Hansen has a PhD in linguistics and grew up speaking Platt, the West German dialect known as "Low German" that is spoken in parts of northern Germany. She worked as a journalist before moving with her family to the countryside where she wrote this novel.
Acquiring Editor: Claudia Vidoni, editorial director of fiction at Knaus Verlag
Why They Think It Took Off: Prior to publication, Knaus sent out PODs to a number of booksellers and, according to Vidoni, the response was enthusiastic.Three weeks after publication, the novel landed on Der Spiegel's list, where it has remained. The novel has sold nearly 200,000 copies in Germany, and it's been acquired in eight international rights deals. Among those acquisitions is a U.S. one; Daniela Rapp at St. Martin's Press nabbed world English rights last month.
Why They Think It’s Still Working: Vidoni thinks the novel has a broad appeal that's striking a chord with a wide readership. She said the book has a universal theme insofar as it's about "displacement, rootlessness, and the profound human desire for a place to belong." Vidoni continued: "Another important theme is the concept of family, and what it is that holds people together."
