Along the Trenches

A strange territory marked heavily by the fissures of wars and catastrophes lies between Western Europe and Russia. Navid Kermani traveled along this rift that has recently ripped open again in Europe, first eastward from his home town of Cologne all the way to the Baltics and then south over the Caucasus all the way to Isfahan in his parents’ homeland of Iran. With an unerring sense for captivating details, this travel journal is filled with descriptions of forgotten regions where even today history is being made and people whose stories are true but also contradictory. Kermani’s travels lead him right into the middle of the Jewish Pale of Settlement during the time of the tsars, the “Bloodlands” of the Second World War, along the rift between East and West, where the Cold War isn’t over yet and has developed into a heated conflict in the Donbass region of the Ukraine. He sees the rubble of destroyed cultures and the traces of old and new devastation alike. Most of all, he meets people who are conflicted inside because their search for a homeland and a chance at prosperity forces them to choose one side or another. With broad strokes, Kermani brings to life the nightlife of the big cities, shops right out of the Soviet era, cafes with a hip vintage vibe, the serenity that can be found even on the front, and the fear of others, whoever they might be. Navid Kermani is a freelance writer who lives in Cologne. His novels, essays, and journalism have received many accolades, including the Kleist Prize, and the Joseph Breitbach Prize as well as the Peace Prize of the German Booksellers’ Association.