In Case of Loss x Lutz Seiler, Martyn Crucefix (tr.)

192 pages.

Expected publication date: April 2, 2024 (And Other Stories)

Non-fiction/essays.

I’m new to the work of Seiler (will be reading Star 111 soon also), and have had no prior exposure to his poetry. However, his poetic approach to thinking about and seeing the world comes through in his non-fiction in In Case of Loss, where he ponders things like the village he grew up in, his childhood in East Germany, fixing engines with his father, other poets, his poet-farmer great-grandfather, his home outside Berlin (that used to belong to a poet) and its surrounding forest (with the memorable image of the ‘graveyard’ at the back), approaches to writing and memory, butchering farm animals, old professors, and that time he cut up his work and put it in preservation jars, as he ponders the link between that act and the preservation of fruit in his childhood.

There are many more beautiful snapshots and musings in the book, and I’m still surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Seiler’s approach to language and memory is something that resonates with me (and will no doubt colour my future writing). I also appreciate the translator’s work, as I did not feel like I was reading a book in translation (and actually had to stop to check at some point).

A wonderful, thoughtful feat of craft and memory, well worth reading—even if, like me, you went in with no real idea what to expect. Thank you to And Other Stories and Edelweiss for early access.

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