Shocked Earth was launched on May 25th, 2021 in an online conversation between the authors Helen Sedgwick and Saskia Goldschmidt, and myself as the translator of the novel. Saskia gave two excellent readings and the conversation was ably guided by Helen, whose enthusiasm for the book was clear.

The first extract read by Saskia comes from near the start of the novel and introduces some of the main characters, particularly Zwier, a farmer, and Trijn, his daughter. Trijn’s mother Ootje wants her to marry a farmer’s son, someone who’ll look after the farm and compensate for Trijn’s own lack of interest in farming. The comical scene in which Trijn is made to serve snacks to a neighbouring farming family, who are visiting their farm to assess Trijn’s suitability as a potential daughter-in-law, makes her decide to run away from home. The passage is a prologue to the main action of the novel, which takes place almost twenty-five years later.

Saskia’s second extract shows the demolition of a farmhouse badly damaged by earthquakes caused by gas extraction in Groningen province. It showcases the drama of her writing and the vibrant characters she has created, as well as getting to the heart of the environmental themes that make this such an important literary work.

Helen asked questions about locality, landscape, the dangers of gas extraction/fracking, the neglect of rural communities and the generational and geographical divides that separate us.

As the translator of the book, I was delighted to be given the chance to talk about some aspects of the translation, including my use of northern English words and speech patterns to create an equivalence to some of the Groningen dialect used in the novel.

Helen also asked me to talk about translating the lyrical elements of the book, both prose and poetry, leading on to my reading of a poem written by one of the novel’s characters.

The conversation is an excellent introduction to the novel and its author, and to the writing and translation process.

The video is still available to view on YouTube.