The Seagull Blog

‘The Divine Song’ by Abdourahman A. Waberi: An Excerpt

This roller-coaster of a novel takes us from the shores of Africa to the musician protagonist’s ancestors’ arrival in the Americas in the hold of the slave ships. From there, the characters journey from Tennessee—under the tutelage of Lili Williams, Sammy’s beloved African-born grandmother—to N
Read More

'On the Royal Road' by Elfriede Jelinek: Excerpt

A searing farce based on Donald Trump’s presidency, as topical as the evening news, yet with insight built on a lifetime of closely observing politics and culture, On the Royal Road brings into focus the phenomenon of right-wing populism, which spreads like a virus and has a lasting effect on global
Read More

The Quarantine Tapes: Naveen Kishore

The Quarantine Tapes is a daily program from Onassis LA and dublab. Hosted by Paul Holdengräber, the series chronicles shifting paradigms in the age of social distancing. Each day, Paul Holdengräber calls a guest for a 20-minute discussion about how they are experiencing the global pandemic.In a
Read More

Ravish Kumar. On Being a Migrant.

'Life takes you to a platform where you are constantly changing trains or waiting for one to take you elsewhere' I have an aluminium trunk last carted in 2004, when I moved from a rented flat to my own apartment. It’s been lying in the same place ever since. Occasionally, I repla
Read More

Reinhard Jirgl. On Being a Writer.

At the beginning I had no intention of making writing a career or earning any money. Back then, when I began (around 1975 and the years thereafter), I did not think of writing as a calling at all; I had sought a path for the, at that time, existentially unsatisfactory situation I’d put myself int
Read More

Hans Magnus Enzensberger, on Seagull’s unique annual catalogues

So the magpie adorns its nest with everything it finds, no matter how nondescript.It likes to pull out everything that glitters, not caring much whether it’s paste or diamond.My magpies are / indispensable, / they laugh at me.There’s no relying on you, / magpies. / How you surpass me.You do know wha
Read More

A Note from the Publisher

Independence. Of choice. To do what you want to and not be dictated by ‘target audiences’. No one can know for certain what people will read. It is always after the ‘event’ that one grows wise to the fact. Often the same wisdom winks back at you and asks, ‘What if you throw me out of the window and
Read More