The newest Zamonia novel Das Labyrinth der Träumenden Bücher (The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books) will be released in October in Germany!!!!!!! It’s the sequel to The City of Dreaming Books!!!! I am very excited!!!!! (Exhibit A: excessive use of the exclamation mark).
Tragically, I do not speak Deutsch.
So, next month at the Brooklyn Book Festival I’m going to be pressing the lovely people at the Overlook Press table for information and, perhaps, the translator’s phone number. Who knows, he might need a proofreader.
Just for fun, below is the Synopsis, courtesy of Random House Germany and Google Translate.
Hilde favor of myths Metz returns to the “City of Dreaming Books”
About two hundred years ago, has been destroyed since the book Haim, the City of Dreaming Books, by a devastating fire storm. The eyewitness of the disaster, Hilde favor of myths Metz, is now considered the leading writer Zamonien and recovers to the dragon festivals of its monumental success. He delights in daily Belobhudeltwerden when it reaches a disturbing message that its existence is finally made sense.
Lured by a mysterious letter returns favor of myths Hilde Metz to book Haim. The beautifully rebuilt city is again to the pulsating metropolis of literature and the book trade has become the Mecca and is traversed by all kinds of crazy book to the puzzle on the track gets myths Metz, hardly has he entered the city, adventurous in their wake. He met old friends such as the Schreckse Inazea Anazazi, the book Lingen Ojahnn Golgo van Fontheweg, Dölerich Hirnfidler and Gofid Letter guy who Eydeeten Hachmed Ben Kibitzer, but also new residents, phenomena and wonders of the city, like the mysterious Biblionauten, the obscure Puppetisten and Haim’s latest attraction book, the “invisible theater”. It strayed myths Metz deeper “in the” labyrinth of dreaming books, which seems mysterious and invisible to determine the fate of Haim’s book. Until he finally gets an unstoppable whirlwind of events that surpasses all the adventures that he had to endure ever, in every respect.
Ummm…yeah.
Hurry John Brown! For the love of all that’s good in the world… please hurry!
READER AT LARGE 
Ah, this reminds me… I need to read The City of Dreaming Books. I mean, other than having the greatest title ever, it’s one of the only available fantasies in translation (that I’ve encountered – do you know of any others…?) and also every mention I’ve seen of it has been enthusiastic (to say the least). I should get on this…
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Moers has about 5 Zamonia novels available in English (I have a review archived on the site for The Alchemaster’s Apprentice)… but I definitely recommend beginning with The City of Dreaming Books. I loved EVERYTHING about it.
And you know, I can’t think of any fantasy translations…. I will have to do some research. Other than Zafon’s novels, which I don’t think can be categorized as fantasy, per se. OH! and there’s some of Calvino’s novellas. But again, is that considered fantasy?
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I haven’t been excited about anything lately, or if I have- it just got trumped OUT by this news. OoOhHH! Thanks for spreading the news!!!
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I KNOW!!!!! I’ve been sporadically tweeting about it all week and no one else seems as enthusiastic.
Pssssttt….there’s a book trailer on youtube (in German).
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OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So hopefully the translated version will be out this year, or next year at the latest!??!?!?!?!!!!!! (I’m excited too! See? Overuse of exclamation marks!!!)
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Tony, Thanks for commenting. I hope your timeline is right! I’ve been poking around trying to get more information on the release of the English translation… with little result.
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Well, I hope so too. I only estimated 1-2 years for the english translation because that’s how long it normally took for the English versions of the books to come out from the time it was written. 🙂 so yes, fingers crossed indeed!
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I can’t take it any longer. I have waited long enough for the next book to come out; and now it’s so close and I still can’t read it. Why does it take so long to translate.
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LOL! All Moers fans feel the same Hank! What I’m finding frustration is not being able to get a definite response as to who is going to publish the English translation. I assumed Overlook, but I can’t get confirmation. Of course – it’s not like I’m the first on the list for them to notify. 🙂
My one concern – and I put it on another post on this subject – is that I read somewhere that The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books is only part one and that there will be a part two. If that’s the case it may be a situation like 1Q84, where the English translation wasn’t published until all parts/sequels had been written and made available in their original language. If that’s the case it will be a longer wait than any of us wants!
Thanks for commenting.
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Well, if being able to read Walter Moers’ books isn’t enough incentive for me to try and learn German, I don’t know what is. I should’ve kept at my lessons!
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I hope that’s not the case. 😭
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Per the German Wikipedia page, “Deren Übersetzung wird erst im nächsten Band veröffentlicht, wann ist nicht bekannt.” – Basically, the translation will only be published when the next volume comes out, whose release date is unknown!!! 😦
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Actually Natalie, I think I may have good news. I reached out to Random House Germany and here’s what I learned!
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und das ist, wo meine Geschichte beginnt
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