About People

A World Literature Today Notable Translations of 2023Written by Germany's #1 bestselling author Juli Zeh, About People takes place in the middle of lockdown in spring 2020 and subtly describes the social and very private consequences of the pandemic. Fleeing stay-at-home orders in the big city, Dora and her dog move to the countryside to sit out the pandemic. She knows that Bracken, a village in the middle of nowhere, isn't the idyll most city dwellers dream of, but she's desperate for space and a change of scene. The quaint old house she's saved up for needs work, weeds have taken over the yard, and her skinhead neighbor fits all the stereotypes. Just what is Dora really looking for? Distance from her boyfriend Robert, whose climate activism has crossed into obsession? Refuge from her inner turmoil? Clarity on how the whole world got so messed up? As Dora tries to keep her demons in check, unexpected things start happening all around her. Juli Zeh's epic new novel explores our present predicaments, biases, weaknesses, and fears, but—above all—it reveals the strengths that come to light when we dare to be human.

JULI ZEH studied law in Passau and Leipzig, and holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Saarbrücken. She is one of Germany's most successful authors of both literary thrillers and novels. Her debut novel Eagles and Angels was an international bestseller and won the Deutscher Book Prize, since which time her books have been translated into 35 languages. She has been awarded myriad prizes for her work, including the Carl Amery Literature Prize, the Thomas Mann Prize, and the German Order of Merit. New Year (World Editions), also translated by Alta L. Price, was a finalist for the Helen & Kurt Wolff Prize and the 2022 PEN America Translation Prize. ALTA L. PRICE runs a publishing consultancy specialized in literature and nonfiction texts on art, architecture, design, and culture. A recipient of the Gutekunst Prize, she translates from Italian and German into English. Price's translation of Juli Zeh's novel New Year, also published by World Editions, was a finalist for the 2022 PEN America Translation Prize as well as the Helen & Kurt Wolff Prize.