When did Eichmedien become Nakomiady? When did Rastenburg become the town of Rastembork, and when did it become Kętrzyn? When did Carlshof transform into Karolewo? And Groß Stürlack into Sterławki?

The novel Depth describes the fates of several generations of a family originating from the former East Prussia, where for centuries Polish, Mazurian, German and Lithuanian identities have mixed. It tells the stories of Grandma Janka, the aristocratic Gudrun and her beloved Max, a German surgeon, Aunt Gertraud, and Janka’s son Wolf. Finally, there is Alicja, the youngest of the family, an anthropologist who has to face the decision of selling her family home, which is full of memories and marked by mystery. We follow their stories from the Second World War, the downfall of Königsberg and Rastenburg, the Soviet invasion, through Communist Poland, up until today where the region faces a new refugee crisis.

The book was longlisted for the 2023 Grand Continent Prize. It was awarded the Krakowska Książka Miesiąca Prize in January 2024. In May 2024 it won the Wawrzyn Literary Award of Warmia-Masuria (double award: the main prize and the reader’s choice). It was longlisted for the Nike Literary Award 2024 and shortlisted for the Joseph Conrad Literary Award. The author and translator, Andreas Volk also received a residency / stipend from Stiftung Genshagen in Germany.

The book will be translated to German by Andreas Volk and published in fall 2025 by Voland & Quist.

The novel was published in Polish by Wydawnictwo Cyranka and premiered on 4 September 2023. It is available in print and as an e-book. Cover design by: © Plakiat | Maks Bereski

To purchase the print version, click here.To purchase an e-book, click here.