Malé

Longlist - nominated for the German Book Prize 2020. All attempts to save the Maldives from rising sea levels have failed, package tourists have sought new destinations, and the majority of the population has had to leave the islands. At the same time, the dilapidated capital Malé has become a destination for those seeking an alternative to life in the gentrified cities of the West. Thus, the island, for the brief time until its demise, becomes a canvas for dropouts, adventurers, and utopians, a place caught between euphoria and nightmare, where new forms of solidarity are tested and people disappear without a trace. With "Malé," Roman Ehrlich captures the complex mood of our time and weaves together the stories surrounding the desires and failures of his characters into a reflection of all the contradictions that define life at the beginning of the 21st century.