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ABOUT AUTHOR Laura Vogt (Teufen, 1989) studied creative writing at the Swiss Literature Institute in Biel and Cultural Studies at the University of Luzern. Her first novel So einfach war es zu gehen came out in 2016. She is also the author of numerous short stories and articles as well as lyrical and dramatic texts. She started writing her second novel Was uns betrifft (What Concerns Us) just two months after having her first child. In her work, Laura is particularly interested in exploring the complexity of relationships, maternity, as well as inquiring into the many forms that womanhood can take. She is currently working on her third novel. Laura lives in the canton of St. Gallen.

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DESCRIPTION. Rahel and Fenna are in their late twenties and early thirties. They are sisters. Their mother Vera brought them up by herself. Vera started a series of romantic relationships with other women, and now suffers from breast cancer. Rahel, a jazz singer, is pregnant and single but in love with writer Boris with whom she eventually moves. While she seems to embrace maternity and family life, she falls pregnant from Boris, and her body turns into a complete alienated part of herself. When the baby is born, she rejects maternity; at the same time, she cannot stop breastfeeding the baby. In the meanwhile, Fenna expects a child from Luc, a man who can turn from charming hippy to aggressor in a heartbeat, raping her on a woodland walk well into their relationship. We follow Fenna throughout her complex response, from rage, to acceptance, to feelings of responsibility and guilt. WHAT CONCERNS US is a blunt depiction of pregnancy, sex, maternity and relationships through the lives of two women.

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WENLING'S

WENLING'S

 
The perfect combination of literary fiction & feminist journalism. A warmhearted ode to female friendship.
 
Originally from China, Wenling arrived in Barcelona looking for a better life. With no knowledge of the local languages, she managed to open a salon. Our unnamed narrator is one of Wenling's frequent customers, a documentary producer that takes note of everything and everyone around her. As time passes by, a friendship grows between the two women. Through their conversations, Wenling's story unfolds at the salon, where we also discover the hidden lives of many of her customers. But Rachel Doyle and Tippi Hedren, and their contribution to the beauty industry have also a place in this book, as well as the bunch of hard-working women that made the beauty industry flourish. And just like that, Wenling's nail salon becomes the crossroad for a myriad of women's stories and female complicity. 
 
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Gemma Ruiz Palà (Sabadell, 1975) is a Catalan journalist and writer. Her first novel, Argelagues (Proa, 2016), was a great success in Spain. Wenling's is her second novel, for which she spent years visiting nail salons incognito to capture their conversations, atmosphere and vibes. Her third novel, Our Mothers (2023), wonthe Sant Jordi Prize in 2022. This was the first time in nineteenth years that a woman had received the prize. 

TRANSLATOR BIOGRAPHY: Peter Bush has translated a number of Catalan modern classics, including Black Bread by Emili Teixidor, Mercè Rodoreda's In Diamond Square, Joan Sales' Uncertain Glory and Winds of the Night, Josep Pla's Life Embitters and The Gray Notebook, which won the 2014 Ramon Llull Prize for Literary Translation. In 2015 he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Catalan government for his translation and promotion of Catalan literature.
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