Sophie Hardach

A celebration of the huge linguistic diversity that is open to all of us at birth, and that has inspired and fascinated humans since the invention of speech. The acclaimed novelist Sophie Hardach - a German native who writes in English - explores languages, and multilingualism, as an expression of human creativity and identity, and a way to connect in an often fractured world - a necessary and important pursuit in these politically divided times. The book's chapters roughly follow the trajectory of a human life, tracing our relationship with language from the first muffled sounds we hear in the womb, to the comfort and companionship it can provide in old age. The author weaves together her own experiences of language as the mother of a multilingual child and explores the science and history of speech. Languages Are Good For Usoffers a unique perspective on a subject that affects us all.

Languages Are Good for You

Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2019. Tobi and Ella's childhood in East Berlin is shrouded in mystery. Now adults living in London, their past is full of unanswered questions. Both remember their family's daring and terrifying attempt to escape, which ended in tragedy; but the fall-out from that single event remains elusive. Where did their parents disappear to, and why? What happened to Heiko, their little brother? And was there ever a painting of three blue horses? In contemporary Germany, Aaron works for the archive, making his way through old files, piecing together the tragic history of thousands of families. But one file in particular catches his eye; and soon unravelling the secrets at its heart becomes an obsession. When Ella is left a stash of notebooks by her mother, and she and Tobi embark on a search that will take them back to Berlin, her fate clashes with Aaron's, and together they piece together the details of Ella's past... and a family destroyed. Devastating and beautifully written, funny and life-affirming, Confession with Blue Horsesexplores intimate family life and its strength in the most difficult of circumstances.

Confession with Blue Horses

At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out. As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions? When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves. Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.

Of Love and Other Wars

When Kurdish refugee Selim ends up in a small town in Germany, he believes he is finally safe, until the law catches up with him and the clock starts ticking. Selim realises there is only one way to avoid deportation, if he dare try...

The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages

Silný příběh o životě ve stínu Berlínské zdi Sourozenci Tobi a Ella bydlí v Londýně, dětství však prožili ve Východním Berlíně. Tato část jejich životů je ale zahalena tajemstvím. Mlhavě si pamatují na podivný obraz modrých koní a odvážný pokus o emigraci, který ovšem skončil tragédií a zanechal příliš mnoho nezodpovězených otázek. Proč neuspěli? Kam zmizel otec? A kde je jejich malý bratr Heiko? Je na čase postavit se minulosti čelem a zjistit, co se vlastně tehdy stalo.

Svědectví modrých koní

London, 1937. The profoundly moving story of a Quaker family and a Jewish family in love and at war during WWII. At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from a dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out. As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions? When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves. Of Love and Other Wars is a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.

London, 1937. The profoundly moving story of a Quaker family and a Jewish family in love and at war during WWII. At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out. As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions? When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves. Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion. 'Tender and absorbing. An intriguing glimpse into the pacifist's world' Esther Freud 'Poignant without ever being sentimental, morally complex and deftly woven - this is a book that gets better and better with every chapter' Gavin Extence, author of The Universe versus Alex Woods

Sophie Hardach

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