Berlin Babel: Stories of the city by Berliners old and new

What brings people to today’s Berlin, what makes them stay?

For some, the city is a place of refuge, from war and persecution, bigotry or boredom. For others, it’s the history or the nightlife or the broad green spaces that attract them – or haunt them. And a few are just born here. How do they cope with the pressure, with housing shortages, racism, club queues, bicycle thefts, shitty jobs, with home catching up on them?

Berlin Babel presents fourteen short stories by writers originating from Syria, Turkey, China, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy and India. From Arabic to Italian to Yiddish, the stories are beautifully translated from eight different languages.

The selection captures life in Berlin with all its despairs and joys. This first ever international anthology of contemporary writing on the city unites a wide range of perspectives. For all those who love the city, and for anyone curious to discover it.

Featuring stories by:

Odai Al Zoubi translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette / Carla Berges translated from Spanish by Isabel Adey / Leon Craig / Ulrike Draesner translated from German by Lyn Marven / Linda Farata translated from Italian by Han Smith / FENG Yurui translated from Chinese by WU Xiujie / Lin Hierse translated from German by Jon Cho-Polizzi / LJ Kessels / Natasha Podlyzhnyak translated from Russian by Will Firth / Nainy Sahani / Jake Schneider translated from Yiddish by himself / Meral Şimşek translated from Turkish by Umut Simsek / David Wagner translated from German by Imogen Taylor / Jane Yager

• Publication date: 3 September 2026
• Page count: 176
• Dimensions: Height 130 mm; Width 199 mm; Thickness 16 mm
• Publisher: V & Q Books
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9783863914998