V&Q Books

V&Q Books is the English-language imprint of Voland & Quist Verlag. Remarkable writing from Germany.

V&Q Books is the English-language imprint of Voland & Quist Verlag, Germany. Launching our first titles in 2020, we will release 5 to 6 books a year initially, for distribution mainly in the UK and Ireland, plus Germany, Austria and Switzerland. V&Q Books is headed by renowned translator Katy Derbyshire and publishes remarkable writing from Germany, translated from German and other languages. Furt

her bridging the gap between Europe and the UK, we will also be championing original English writing made in Germany.

01/08/2024

It’s August, honeys, and that makes it . Did you know that ten years ago, a paltry 26% of fiction published in English translation was written by women? Then kicked off and the Anglophone world got wise to international women’s writing. We’re now at around 47% – not bad, but let’s not start flagging now. To celebrate we’re giving UK and Ireland readers 20% off on all our women in translation – head to our website and use the code WiT24 at the checkout.

Our own stats? Oh, nine of our fourteen translations so far were originally written by women… That’s about 64%. 💅

Enjoy reading remarkable translated writing by women in August, and every other month!

10/07/2024

In Germany and elsewhere, a huge proportion of literary translations published were originally written in English. At the same time, younger generations are increasingly just reading the English originals. How can German publishing escape this loop of doom – and at the same time make the translation community more representative of society as a whole? A utopian suggestion on our blog… Head to the link in our bio to read more.

26/06/2024

New on our blog: a great new destination for fans of Berlin’s literary legacy – the recreated in exhibition form gives you a chance to travel back in time twice over. Why not pop in to find out more about the beating heart of intellectual Berlin between the wars? It’s free and fun and inspiring and sad. ☕️☕️☕️ Follow the link in our bio to read the post!

19/06/2024

The newest in the series of on our blog is of course by the amazing Priscilla Layne, all about her work on Birgit Weyhe’s RUDE GIRL. She writes: “Translating the book was kind of a surreal experience. Since it’s based on my life, translating often felt second-nature.” Follow that 🔗 in our bio to read the whole thing!

14/06/2024

We asked RUDE GIRL translator Priscilla Layne what books were important to her while she was working on the book… Her answer was a cornucopia of great reading suggestions:

Comics:
Adrian Tomine: Shortcomings
Adrian Tomine: Killing and Dying
Daniel Clowes: Ghost World

Black Germans:
May Ayim: Blues in Black and White (tr. Anne Adams)
May Opitz, Katharina Oguntoya, Dagmar Schultz (eds.): Showing Our Colours (tr. Anne Adams)
Hans J. Massaquoi: Destined to Witness
Theodor Michael: Black German (tr. Eve Rosenhaft)

Music:
Pauline Black: Black by Design
Stephen Duncombe, Maxwell Tremblay (eds.): White Riot
Carrie Brownstein: Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain: Please Kill Me

And two fantastic novels:
Octavia Butler: Kindred
Yoko Tawada: Memoirs of a Polar Bear (tr. Susan Bernofsky)

You can check out the list as a whole at (link in bio). Why not buy one or two while you’re there?

13/06/2024

We asked RUDE GIRL author Birgit Weyhe what books were important to her while she was writing and drawing the book… Her answer?

Ebony Flowers: Hot Comb
Olivia Wenzel: 1000 Coils of Fear (in a great translation by a certain Priscilla Layne)
J***y Pitts: Afropean: Notes from Black Europe
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Between the World and Me
Mithu M. Sanyal: Identitti (another fantastic translation, by Alta Price)
Regina Porter: The Travelers
Yaa Gyasi: Homegoing
Brit Bennett: The Mothers

You can check out the list as a whole at (link in bio). Why not buy one or two while you’re there?

31/05/2024

Here’s all four fantastic books together. Have a great weekend!

30/05/2024

Number four in our list of top books to go with ‘s (translated by Priscilla Layne) HAS to be this fantastic by .lineblack_obe … Black by Design is stark and inspiring, a search for identity that finds music as an escape. Perhaps that’s something the author has in common with our book’s protagonist Crystal. If you love music and haven’t read it yet, get yourself a copy asap!

29/05/2024

Next up in our list of great books to complement ‘s (translated by Priscilla Layne) is a portrait of the women in 2 Tone and beyond, aptly titled Rude Girls! Expertly written by the wonderful aka Heather Augustyn. Order a copy if you want to read over 50 interviews with members of the Selecter, the GoGo’s, Maroon Town, or even Bananarama! All those women making space for us.

28/05/2024

Next up in our week of companion books to ‘s : Too Much Too Young by — the story of 2 Tone records, which brought a whole new wave of punk-influenced ska to the world. Daniel did loads of interviews with musicians and record industry people to get the full picture, always coming back to label founder and Specials brain Jerry Dammers. Pick up a copy to go with Rude Girl, you know you want to!

27/05/2024

This week we have some tips for books that go well with ’s Rude Girl, translated by Priscilla Layne. Starting with a gorgeous and glossy — The Story of Trojan Records by . Brilliantly illustrated and written with both expertise and humour, it’ll tell you all you need to know about the British record label — which changed the course of music history. Hugely influential on generations of of course!

22/05/2024

A new post on our blog by the wonderful of — all about the multimedia afterlife of good old Franz , as related by the contemporary German writer Find out more via the link in our bio!

17/05/2024

Last stop on the playlist from ‘s , tr. Priscilla Layne. As protagonist Crystal continues her studies, her taste in music broadens again, taking us to a spot of … Check out the full playlist via our bio, or just buy the book to find out more!

16/05/2024

More from ‘s Rude Girl (tr. Priscilla Layne). As protagonist Crystal gets into we get a taste of … here’s Peter and the Test Tube Babies with 🗑️ Get the whole playlist via our bio, or just buy the book!

15/05/2024

More album covers from ’s , tr. Priscilla Layne. As her protagonist Crystal discovers subculture, she jumps right on the with and co. Check out the full playlist via our bio… or buy the whole to find out more!

14/05/2024

More record covers from ’s (tr. Priscilla Layne). As Crystal starts to choose her own records as a child, we see her taste beginning to form. How about a spot of on a Tuesday? Check out the playlist from the via our bio… or just buy the whole damn book!

13/05/2024

Part of the fun in ’s fantastic graphic novel (tr. Priscilla Layne) is following her protagonist Crystal’s development through her record collection… We start with early childhood listening, music all around her in her Bajan/Jamaican family in Chicago… Check out the full playlist via our bio, follow it here this week—or just buy the whole book!

10/05/2024

It’s nice ‘n’ easy to pick up a copy of ’s (tr. Priscilla Layne) at — you know you want to.

09/05/2024

One more, even though we’ve shared it before… but it matches! Top skinhead poet and man of exceptional taste says: “Rude Girl is a compelling skinhead biography. Put some Upsetters on the decks and get reading. It’s a live injection.” Translated by Priscilla Layne, the also tells her life story. Take Tim’s advice and pick up a copy of ’s today!

08/05/2024

How thrilled are we that Clara Byrne from the fantastic band loves as much as we do? Check out ’s graphic novel, translated by Priscilla Layne. After all, as Clara says, “This book is super – you open it up and it’s like a film! I relate so much to Crystal being Mixed heritage and having a LONG journey of identity and finding out about oneself. Truly beautiful and relatable!”
And if you don’t know the angry, cheeky beauty of Dakka Skanks’ music yet — what are you waiting for?

07/05/2024

We’re massive fans of ’s work on the history of Jamaican music (especially the women involved) and how it’s influenced its fans. If you loved her book we think you might be pretty into ’s Rude Girl, translated by Priscilla Layne. Here’s what Heather had to say about it: “How can a story be both individual and collective at the same time? Somehow, the story of Priscilla Layne’s belonging and identity, in dialogue with graphic novel illustrator Birgit Weyhe, is one that we can all both empathize and sympathize with. We have either felt the same range of emotions as Layne, or we can feel for her. And it is because Layne’s story is told through Weyhe’s art and vision that it connects with us so deeply. Rude Girl is the complex intersection of culture, time, place, family, friendship, race, class, feminism, music, and more, but it is at its heart, the story of the human experience. And it’s beautiful.”

29/04/2024

Happy happy to and her translator and subject of Rude Girl, Priscilla Layne! The graphic novel explores both the power of music and subculture to create community, and how to tell other people’s stories with respect and collaboration. Get out and read it for yourselves! From all good bookshops in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland—or straight from the source!

28/04/2024

And here’s a few on sale at in excellent company with the work of … The book’s officially out tomorrow!

27/04/2024

Last terrible photo from : Janina and Andrea from the merch stand run by …. These two beauties spent two nights selling merch in the rain and radiated good vibes all the way. Thank you, ladies!

26/04/2024

Loved, loved, loved at for their power, righteousness and cheek— and we gave singer Clara a copy of for the road.

24/04/2024

The incredibly cool keyboard killer of … Is she called Koto? Anyway, she was fun to watch at !

23/04/2024

Another truly exciting moment at festival was seeing the re-formed Deltones after many years. You know when you don’t even realize you have a band’s entire lyrics in some obscure corner of your brain? And then you find yourself singing along… Excellent pop-ska by a largely female band, their characteristic harmonies reinvigorated for a new generation. Perfect for the in you!

22/04/2024

What. A. Fantastic. Festival! is a two-day extravaganza of diversity, love and unity—plus of course and from Europe, the UK, the US and Jamaica. One thing we really noticed: all the women on stage. Here’s Julia Biel of for a start, whose jazz vocals lifted us up for a magic-carpet ride to and reggae heaven.

19/04/2024

Wee bit stagestruck at meeting , in conversation here with 2Tone expert and … They talked about Daniel’s book, Too Much Too Young, which I need to read asap.

19/04/2024

Almost ready to board a train to Cologne, bound for festival. Very very excited to see some great bands new and old, meet and maybe , dance and sing along out of tune and also sell pre-release copies of ’s RUDE GIRL (in German or English) to lots of rude girls and boys.

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http://vq-books.eu/

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Join us for #beatsandbooksberlin at @ada.barberlin at 8 tonight - with @cfbanciu, @jacintanandi, @ivana.sajko1 and DJ female paranoia. All of us will probably have shoes on. #shoesinbooks #literaryevents

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Welcome back to working life, with all its ups and downs. We thought we might celebrate some of the hard work done by reviewers, starting with this review of Birgit Weyhe’s MADGERMANES (tr. Katy Derbyshire) done by Maddy Robinson at @asymptotejrnl. You’ll find the whole thing at https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2021/12/08/that-elusive-concept-home-on-birgit-weyhes-graphic-novel-of-mozambican-migrant-workers/.