Entweder / Oder

Of all American authors, Elif Batuman is the wittiest. The bestselling author Elif Batuman is one of the most original voices in contemporary American literature. With her story about the young literature student Selin, she creates a novel that is both humorous and touching, exploring the difficult overcoming of post-adolescent shame, failed first experiences, and the overly cerebral attempt to grow up.

It is Selin's second year at Harvard University. She is suffering from heartbreak, wants to become a writer, and has recently started taking antidepressants. So far, nothing unusual. However, Selin's problem with life is more complicated: she tends to overthink everything, constantly getting in her own way. Her attempt to understand the world through books, from Kierkegaard to Nabokov, in order to avoid stepping into reality, yields no clear results. What is the social concept of a party, how emancipatory can, should, or must I be, and why is sex so desirable? To answer her questions about life, she ventures – somewhat awkwardly but quite willing to take risks – into the thick of it, encountering some dark places along the way. "Either/Or" is a brilliant portrait of a very intelligent woman with a very complicated emotional landscape – and a witty, humorous satire on the academic milieu.

A bestseller of the New York Times and the Washington Post. Elif Batuman is one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature.