Lize Spit kicks off German book tour

This week, Lize Spit (°1988) appeared at both the ILB and the Literaturhaus in Cologne. She was interviewed at length about the book in front of sizable and interested audiences. Excerpts from the translation by Helga van Beuningen were read by an actor and afterwards Spit answered questions from the press.

In November, the author will return to the German-speaking regions for ten more appearances, stopping off in Zurich, Hamburg and Stuttgart, among other places. Before that, in October, Spit will travel to the Czech Republic, where she will launch the Czech translation of ‘Het smelt’ in Prague and Brno.

The Spanish and Catalan translations of her novel are due to be published soon, followed later in the year by the Italian and Danish versions and the French, Polish, Norwegian, English and Arabic editions in 2018.

On Monday 11 September, at the International Literature Festival Berlin (ILB), Lize Spit launched her book tour through the German-speaking regions. It follows the publication by S. Fischer, earlier this month, of the first translation of ‘Het smelt’, one of the most successful debut novels ever by a Flemish author. The book was published in 2016 by young Dutch company Das Mag, and more than 170,000 copies have since been sold in Flanders and the Netherlands.

This raw and thrilling family saga – which gradually discloses why protagonist Eva is travelling to her home village with a large block of ice in the boot of her car – seems to appeal to the German public as well. The book has received positive reviews and has entered the Der Spiegel bestseller list.