Bookmark 02/2023

mires, from writers to musicians, as well as loved ones, from friends
to family with various cities as their backdrop. What transpires is
the spirit of a human being who lives and breathes their passion,
who has become one with their art and that of others, whose work
and motivation in life are inextricably linked with even their most
mundane moments. As it’s mostly photographic, this is a beautiful
diary-style book to display on a coffee table or gift to someone who
follows Patti Smith’s Instagram account.
6 The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
If you’ve had enough of non-fiction and are after some good old
fictional escapism, Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy is an excellent
series to sink your teeth into with the crowded streets of – you
guessed it – New York as its backdrop. Written in the mid-1980s,
this trilogy was truly ahead of its time, mixing postmodern fiction
with classic detective mystery, breaking the fourth wall, experimenting
with philosophy and the concept of identity. In the first title,
City of Glass, we see a mystery writer trotting the streets of New
York, as he gets lost in a real-life mystery that must be solved. In
the second book, Ghosts, a private investigator gets similarly lost in
the life of the person investigated. And the third book takes us even
deeper into madness, as a writer struggles with his own creativity
and decides to take on another person’s identity. Each book vividly
portrays the gruelling experience of being a writer, bringing readers
to a trance as they lose themselves among the vividly described
streets of New York City.
9 The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
If stories set in today’s complicated reality hit too close to home,
you may want to travel a bit further from Rome and back in time.
Welcome to 17th century Amsterdam. Eighteen-year-old Nella is
promised to Amsterdam-based Johannes Brandt, a merchant trader
who lives with his sister. Nella is confronted with solitude from the
get-go, a dreadful feeling relieved only by a small gift from her husband:
a cabinet-sized replica of their house. She seeks out the help of
a miniaturist to fill the rooms of her mini-house. And soon enough,
through the small creation, Nella uncovers secrets of the very house
she lives in, and realises that the miniaturist helping her knows
much more about her new life than she thought. The Miniaturist by
Jessie Burton was a true phenomenon before it even published: the
focus of a heated bidding war between publishers, it went on to win
awards, sell millions of copies, and translate into over 37 languages.
It’s an addictive story of obsession, betrayal, and the need to go
beyond appearances and to uncover truth.
10 Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
An incredible way of exploring cities in books is by creating magical
systems within them, and that’s exactly what Rivers of London
by Ben Aaronovitch does excellently. An urban fantasy set in modern-day
London, the story centres around Probationary Constable
Peter Grant, who works for the London Metropolitan Police. His
career is at a standstill, but things are about to dramatically change
for him when he speaks to a ghost regarding a mystery murder
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A Book of Days
A beautiful coffee table
book, a compendium of photographic
memories, a feast for
the eyes! Signed by one of the
greatest artists of our time.
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Patti Smith, Bloomsbury Publishing,
CHF 46.90
The New York
Trilogy
Postmodern fiction meets detective
mystery in this series from
the 80s set in the Big Apple.
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Paul Auster, Faber & Faber,
CHF 12.90
Stories From the
Tenants Downstairs
Widen your horizons by
meeting your neighbours. An
exploration of community,
gentrification and everyday
struggles of life in the city.
Sidik Fofana, John Murray,
CHF 19.90
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7 Stories From the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana
From the very solitary experience of being a writer and getting lost
in our own minds, prepare to be catapulted into the complete opposite
experience of life in the city. We’re still in New York, and Sidik
Fofana takes us into the heart of Harlem with a beautiful collection
of eight short stories centred around one building: Banneker Terrace,
a low-income high-rise. Its tenants all living under the looming
threat of gentrification, living pay check to pay check, sometimes
working multiple jobs, as they go through the motions of real,
everyday life. We meet a single mother, a homeless street dancer, a
college dropout facing eviction and so many more characters whose
lives are intertwined with each other. It may seem that they’re each
facing individual struggles, but they’re all equally moving through
a world of poverty and injustice. This unromanticised view of life
in the city is told through a third person omniscient narrative, yet
each character holds their own individual voice, making this a
varied but cohesive reading experience.
8 Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
For short story lovers, we have another fantastic collection to share.
While Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is very much centred
around American culture, Roman Stories takes us to the ever so
romanticised Rome in Italy. Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri
lived in Rome for many years, and she actually wrote these stories,
now translated by Todd Portnowitz, in Italian. Inspired by some
of Italy’s greatest literary voices, from Alberto Moravia to Dante
Alighieri, Lahiri digs deep in the human experience, especially the
sense of alienation, vulnerability and displacement. From families
seeking refuge in their new country to migrant women facing
racism to friends meeting in an osteria, each character is searching
for a sense of home, even the Italian characters themselves. With
hauntingly beautiful prose, Lahiri explores themes of belonging,
social status, and family, with the beautiful architecture and social
fabric of the eternal city bringing each story together.
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Roman Stories
La Bella Vita … or is it so? Short stories
about short moments in a person’s life in Rome,
told through different perspectives.
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Jhumpa Lahiri, Picador, CHF 29.90
The Miniaturist
A magical story full of secrets set in 17th
century Amsterdam that has captured the world
since its release.
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Jessie Burton, Picador, CHF 17.90
Rivers of London
A love letter to London! A member of the
police force learns that some crimes are a bit more
magical than others.
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Ben Aaronovitch, Orion, CHF 16.90
Dubliners
The work of one of the biggest voices in
literature to this day, Dubliners is a masterful piece
of art from the Naturalism movement.
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James Joyce, Penguin Classics, CHF 16.90
A Moveable Feast
Writers in Paris in the roaring twenties
… What an era! For fans of the writers of the lost
generation who want a sneak peek into their lives.
Ernest Hemingway, Arrow, CHF 16.90
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