At last the newspaper item appeared, bottom left on the second page. A man’s body, presumably aged between fifty-five and sixty, has been found washed up on the beach on the west side of the pier. So far he has not been identified.
Aly don’t forget you promised to run down and buy some bread. While passing you might drop in and pay the rent, else she’ll be up asking for it, and I don’t want her to see this mess before you do something about clearing it up, and mending the partition.
Berg tucked the newspaper under his arm, and whistling, he went out. What did you say his name was, Berg? That’s funny, we had a summons for someone of that name, hadn’t paid his hotel bill, stole a few things as well I believe sir, well I’m sorry if he’s your father, we’ll soon see, except of course he’s a bit unidentifiable, the sea’s mucked him about. Is there anything you can go by, any marks, scars or anything like that? A scar you say, running from his left ear to the jaw, a deep one?
Well we’ll just go down and see sir.
The eyeless face once again a sock’s heel with holes. Yes there’s certainly a scar where you said sir, I am sorry, mother still alive eh? Gently does it now, need a stiff one after that, but perhaps you could come along and give me a few more particulars, seeing, well seeing he’s a relative and so on.
He emerged upon a town that was dazed by half a day’s sun. He walked on to the pier, walked to the end where the ghost train was, where a man with puffed red cheeks sat doing football pools in his glass box, and handed Berg a ticket without looking up. He sat in a carriage, felt the train start up, there was no one else on it. He closed his eyes, felt the carriage jerk, stop, shudder, a cackle, and some moaning, and the carriage almost seemed to separate, spin on its own. He kept his eyes closed, as it continued to jolt, and the sound of laughter, of wind through opening, closing doors. Here Mister you’ve come through, or do you want another go? Right you are then, that’ll be another bob’s worth. He penetrated the darkness, stared at the skulls thrust out at him, the spiders that hung down, the coloured lights, the green and red eyes, and laughter that sounded like Judith’s. Had enough this time Mister, had enough?
He bought some fish and chips, and sat at the end of the pier, dipping his fingers into the mound of newspaper, wiping his fingers on filmstars, models’ legs, and half attempted the crossword puzzle. The sea changed from blue to purple, through the grating of the pier he watched the water lap the black patchwork below. He decided to buy a postcard and took a long time in choosing one, a coloured picture of the whole seafront.
Hallo Mum,
Just a line to say I shall be staying on for a while longer here. It’s quite nice and sunny today, wish you were here. Received your letter, which I shall answer soon.
All love,
Your own Aly
He bought a glittering butterfly brooch, wrapped in tissue paper, in a silver-papered box.
Oh Aly you haven’t brought the bread, and I bet you didn’t pay the rent, she came up, and I had to give her some money to keep her quiet, all ready for a dreadful scene, especially when she saw your door broken, the partition as well. I told a bit of a tale, said some thugs had followed you, beaten you up, taken your things, that you were staying with me. She seemed pacified by the story anyway, at least after I gave her the money, didn’t even enquire after Nathy, though the old bitch will probably be sniffing round our heels I bet. Oh Aly let’s get out soon. You are naughty though not getting the bread. Oh love how sweet of you, oh Aly what is it? Ah there, isn’t that lovely, it will go with my purple, look won’t it sweetie? Just a moment and I’ll try it on, then you can see. But do pop down love and give her the rent, or she’ll be up again. You’ve still got it haven’t you Aly? Oh no, not two weeks’ rent, you couldn’t have spent all that, not in a couple of hours surely, what have you been doing, other than buying presents? This brooch couldn’t have cost that much, the pin’s crooked. Here you better take this, tell her she’ll get the rest on Saturday, my alimony hasn’t come in for this week yet. What? Yes of course he’s still alive I told you, separated in ’55, but the least said about him. Now go on with you Aly, and for goodness sake come straight back.
Black his footprints on the stairs, his shadow breaking up the walls. Outside vestiges of dry leaves, between the twigs that spread into triangles, a twisting mass of brown dribbling under the trees. Mr. Greb, hey Mr. Greb, Mrs. Goldstein says you have some rent money for me. Oh I was sorry to hear about you being beaten up like that Mr. Greb, terrible things happen these days, you can never tell when it’s your last step can you? Of course there’ll be quite a bit to pay, for a new door, then there’s the partition. You see it’s all got to be done up very soon I’ve a gentleman moving in there, he’s even left his luggage in the hall, so you see I’ve got to tidy things up a bit before he moves in. I understand you’re staying with Mrs. Goldstein for a few days, that is until you find another place, well of course that will be extra, it’s not really meant for two, it’s hardly a double room, but I make concessions, yes just now and then. Mind those things Mr. Greb near the stairs, well that’s a silly place to put his stuff isn’t it, that’s right put the cage over there, it’ll be quite safe there.
Of course bird cages look all the same, if you pass them in a shop, they all have gilt edges round the doors and little silver bells—but mirrors cracked, and dry yellow feathers clinging round the edges? Said he was going to get a budgie stuffed, funny how most of my tenants like to keep pets, not all stuffed mind you. Just over three quid he said it cost—cheap I suppose when you don’t have to feed a stuffed one. By the way you wouldn’t know anything about Mr. Berg, I didn’t like to ask her, as I thought—oh I see, goodness I am sorry, nice old chap really, had his ways you know, like most of us I suppose. Funny thing is my new tenant now, the one who’s moving into the room you used to have, reminds me a little of Mr. Berg, first thing I thought when he entered the house, carrying that cage, why there’s the old man himself, I must ask him for the rent. But then this one’s got a beard, looks older too, and I don’t mind telling you either, he’s more classy, and I hope has a bit more money, well we have to be careful who we take in don’t we? What with all these delinquents about the town, you never know if it’s your last sleep, still I must say this new lodger looks a harmless sort of chap, says he’s starting up a chiropody place in the town with some friend, hopes to make it quite a business—well I suppose people do complain about their feet a lot. How’s the hair business these days Mr. Greb?
Head nodding, feet scraping the stairs, her voice in the distance. Aly what’s kept you, what’s that old hag been saying, gossiping I bet about everyone? Look I’ve fixed up a temporary piece of wood, until we get a proper partition up, if I know her she’ll be having someone taking over that room of yours before the day’s out. Well you haven’t said anything, you haven’t even noticed Aly, look doesn’t the brooch look nice? Oh no, no it’s quite all right where it is, oh don’t pin it there, it looks almost obscene, you are a one, really you are. What do you want for lunch Aly, meat or fish? Of course the fishmongers will be closed, though you could run down and get a couple of chops. Aly, oh no Aly stop it now, you are naughty, really you are, not now, it’s nearly lunch time, aren’t you hungry? Aly there’s some potatoes over there that need peeling. Aly don’t you think we ought to have new curtains, and sweetie you won’t mind will you, but I’ve ordered a cat, a nice brand new Siamese one, I went into the pet shop this morning and spoke to the man, he said he had one coming in the day after tomorrow. Aly what do you think we should call it? Aly oh no, don’t not now, hush, listen, did you hear something? Aly there’s someone next door, I can hear them moving about. There what did I tell you, I knew she’d have someone moved in there next to no time. Aly love what are you staring at?
A window just cleaned. Above the sea, overlooking a town, a man motionless, bound by a velvet-covered couch, and a woman, whose hands flutter round a butterfly brooch. They stare at a piece of wood, five foot by seven, that shakes now and then—an animal thumping its tail…
Current & Upcoming Books
01
Juan Pablo Villalobos, Down the Rabbit Hole
translated from the Spanish by Rosalind Harvey
02
Clemens Meyer, All the Lights
translated from the German by Katy Derbyshire
03
Deborah Levy, Swimming Home
04
Iosi Havilio, Open Door
translated from the Spanish by Beth Fowler
05
Oleg Zaionchkovsky, Happiness is Possible
translated from the Russian by Andrew Bromfield
06
Carlos Gamerro, The Islands
translated from the Spanish by Ian Barnett
07
Christoph Simon, Zbinden’s Progress
translated from the German by Donal McLaughlin
08
Helen DeWitt, Lightning Rods
09
Deborah Levy, Black Vodka: ten stories
10
Oleg Pavlov, Captain of the Steppe
translated from the Russian by Ian Appleby
11
Rodrigo de Souza Leão, All Dogs are Blue
translated from the Portuguese by Zoë Perry & Stefan Tobler
12
Juan Pablo Villalobos, Quesadillas
translated from the Spanish by Rosalind Harvey
13
Iosi Havilio, Paradises
translated from the Spanish by Beth Fowler
14
Ivan Vladislavić, Double Negative
15
Benjamin Lytal, A Map of Tulsa
16
Ivan Vladislavić, The Restless Supermarket
17
Elvira Dones, Sworn Virgin
translated from the Italian by Clarissa Botsford
18
Oleg Pavlov, The Matiushin Case
translated from the Russian by Andrew Bromfield
19
Paulo Scott, Nowhere People
translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
20
Deborah Levy, An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell
21
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, By Night the Mountain Burns
translated from the Spanish by Jethro Soutar
22
SJ Naudé, The Alphabet of Birds
translated from the Afrikaans by the author
23
Niyati Keni, Esperanza Street
24
Yuri Herrera, Signs Preceding the End of the World
translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman
25
Carlos Gamerro, The Adventure of the Busts of Eva Perón
translated from the Spanish by Ian Barnett
26
Anne Cuneo, Tregian’s Ground
translated from the French by Roland Glasser and Louise Rogers Lalaurie
27
Angela Readman, Don’t Try This at Home
28
Ivan Vladislavić, 101 Detectives
29
Oleg Pavlov, Requiem for a Soldier
translated from the Russian by Anna Gunin
30
Haroldo Conti, Southeaster
translated from the Spanish by Jon Lindsay Miles
31
Ivan Vladislavić, The Folly
32
Susana Moreira Marques, Now and at the Hour of Our Death
translated from the Portuguese by Julia Sanches
33
Lina Wolff, Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs
translated from the Swedish by Frank Perry
34
Anakana Schofield, Martin John
35
Joanna Walsh, Vertigo
36
Wolfgang Bauer, Crossing the Sea
translated from the German by Sarah Pybus
with photographs by Stanislav Krupař
37
Various, Lunatics, Lovers and Poets:
Twelve Stories after Cervantes and Shakespeare
38
Yuri Herrera, The Transmigration of Bodies
translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman
39
César Aira, The Seamstress and the Wind
translated from the Spanish by Rosalie Knecht
40
Juan Pablo Villalobos, I’ll Sell You a Dog
translated from the Spanish by Rosalind Harvey
41
Enrique Vila-Matas, Vampire in Love
translated from the Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa
42
Emmanuelle Pagano, Trysting
translated from the French by Jennifer Higgins and Sophie Lewis
43
Arno Geiger, The Old King in His Exile
translated from the German by Stefan Tobler
44
Michelle Tea, Black Wave
45
César Aira, The Little Buddhist Monk
translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor
46
César Aira, The Proof
translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor
47
Patty Yumi Cottrell, Sorry to Disrupt the Peace
48
Yuri Herrera, Kingdom Cons
translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman
49
Fleur Jaeggy, I am the Brother of XX
translated from the Italian by Gini Alhadeff
50
Iosi Havilio, Petite Fleur
translated from the Spanish by Lorna Scott Fox
51
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, The Gurugu Pledge
translated from the Spanish by Jethro Soutar
52
Joanna Walsh, Worlds from the Word’s End
53
César Aira, The Lime Tree
translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews
54
Nicola Pugliese, Malacqua
translated from Italian by Shaun Whiteside
55
Ann Quin, The Unmapped Country
56
Fleur Jaeggy, Sweet Days of Discipline
translated from the Italian by Tim Parks
57
Alicia Kopf, Brother in Ice
translated from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem
58
Christine Schutt, Pure Hollywood
59
Cristina Rivera Garza, The Iliac Crest
translated from the Spanish by Sarah Booker
60
Norah Lange, People in the Room
translated from the Spanish by Charlotte Whittle
61
Kathy Page, Dear Evelyn
62
Alia Trabucco Zerán, The Remainder
translated by Sophie Hughes
63
Amy Arnold, Slip of a Fish
64
Rita Indiana, Tentacle
translated from the Spanish by Achy Obejas
65
Angela Readman, Something Like Breathing
66
Gerald Murnane, Border Districts
67
Gerald Murnane, Tamarisk Row
68
César Aira, Birthday
translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews
69
Ann Quin, Berg
70
Fleur Jaeggy, Proleterka
translated from the Italian by Alastair McEwen
71
Olivia Rosenthal, To Leave with the Reindeer
translated from the French by Sophie Lewis
72
Lina Wolff, The Polyglot Lovers
translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel
73
Mario Levrero, Empty Words
translated from the Spanish by Annie McDermott
