Worlds Apart
Julia Franck author Imogen Taylor translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Moth Books
Published:5th Feb '26
Should be back in stock very soon
Born in East Berlin, Julia is eight when her actress mother uproots her family of four girls, by different fathers, in search of a better life. Their eventual landing in the remote countryside of Schleswig-Holstein solves no problems for this fractured household.
Desperate to escape a childhood of rural poverty, neglect and shame, the lonely child becomes addicted to writing. Aged 13, she leaves her family. At school in West Berlin, she finally encounters love.
In this gripping novel based on her youthful diaries and early life, Julia Franck shows why, and how, a great writer found her voice.
‘A truly wild and astonishing story ….a really thrilling read’ RBB radio
‘Worlds Apart is courageous … turning lived life into literature’ Der Spiegel
‘With each of her novels, the 2007 German Book Prize winner delves more deeply into her past – and the questions keep coming.’ Stern
‘A radically honest, radically good book.’ EMMA magazine
'This book (in which the characters have the same names as in real life) is truthful by duty and beautiful by choice’ Die Zeit
‘Worlds Apart is a fascinating piece of prose and a rousing story of self-empowerment’ Brigitte magazine
‘This family history hinges like a swinging door on key dates in twentieth-century German dictatorship.' TAZ
‘Worlds Apart depicts not just life, but memory itself’ Süddeutsche Zeitung
‘Radically personal ... a stirring book in prose that captivates and engages’ Berliner Zeitung
‘a wealth of fascinating tales’ NDR Norddeutscher radio
- Winner of The German Book Prize 2007
- Winner of The Schiller Memorial Prize 2023
ISBN: 9781917593021
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 20mm
Weight: unknown
318 pages