G.A.E. Papageorgiu ● Usserstri

The time has come: the whole of Europe is united under a single regime – the whole of Europe? No, little Usserstri, 4.89 square kilometres in the heart of Zurich, continues to do as it pleases. Europe’s last remaining free patch. The Republic annexed everything else 87 years ago and now rules with an iron fist. But ever since a treacherous murder, things have been a bit rocky in Usserstri too: Jakob Vermeulen, a big shot in the Republic, was shot in the back – and on a Saturday, of all days, when people are supposed to be having fun.

G.A.E. Papageorgiu (*1998, Leipzig), based in Zurich, has her artistic roots in the world of comics. She studied Islamic Studies and Politics, travelled to Iran and Egypt – and eventually ended up in a bar, where she still works today.

She gained her first experience of literary writing as the songwriter for the dark wave duo ‘Ich Singe Du Tanzt’. Following the book project ‘Drei Geschichten am Rande der Existenz’ came ‘Usserstri’ – her first novel, inspired by Chandler and Glauser, set in the Zurich nightlife that has shaped her life for years.

The book is published by Aris Verlag.