In this episode, translator Fiona Graham reads an English sample of Nora Haddada’s »Such Sweet Sorrow«.
When Julian spots Myriam in a Marseille karaoke bar, he can't look away. A conversation, a duet, and an illegal trip to the top of a construction site, their connection feels special. Myriam feels it too: this is different from anything she's ever experienced before. They are both young, well-read, critical and enchanted by the magic and lightheartedness of Marseille as backdrop to their love story. And yet, they lose touch when they return to their lives, Myriam to Paris and Julian to Berlin.
Their paths cross again in Berlin when Myriam arrives for her PhD. But after October 7, a rift forms between them, with the lovers finding themselves on opposite political sides. In »Such Sweet Sorrow,« Nora Haddada masterfully weaves a tale of love, sex, political discourse, and the tragedy of our times.
\"Clever, profound, and subtly ironic (...) I couldn't put it down.\" - Benedict Wells
Nora Haddada , born in 1998, studied Creative Writing and Literary Studies in Hildesheim, Berlin, and Paris. Her debut novel »Nichts in den Pflanzen« was published in 2023 by Ecco/HarperCollins. She lives in Berlin and Paris.
Head to our website to find a longer sample translation here.
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Credits
Text originally published as “Blaue Romanze” by Nora Haddada
Translated and read by Fiona Graham
Copyright © S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main 2025
Photo of the author © Olga Blackbird
Concept: Verena von Bassewitz, Martin Butz & Elisa Diallo
Production, Editing & Sound Design: Martin Butz
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