Gifty is a neuroscientist. She is a daughter, a sister, a friend. Also, she’s the child of two immigrants who came to the U. S. from Ghana, the sister of a brother who died of an overdose, the child of a father who could not endure the racist attacks and returned to Ghana, and the child of a mother who suffers from depression. Right in the middle of it all, Gifty is asking questions about her role in this family tragedy and the relationship between religion and science. Transcendent Kingdom (A. Knopf) (dt. Übers. Ein erhabenes Königreich, DuMont 2021) , Yaa Gyasi’s second novel, is of pure narrative strength. Even when turning to abstract topics she manages to show how fundamental and still individual the vital questions of life can be – especially in the family. In conversation with Andy Gross, the author will take us through the facets of this complex story.
Marina Lara Poltmann will be reading from the german translation.