A portable homeland

The novel "A Homeland Carried" by the German author Jini Erpenbeck (1967), translated from German by Dr. Salah Hilal, Professor of German Language and Literature, supported by the "Litricks" program, launched by the Goethe Institute with funding from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This novel was nominated for the German Book Award for Best Book, and its English translation made the longlist for the "Man Booker" International Prize in 2018. The text explores the most urgent and dangerous ethical and existential issues of our current era, such as race, the forced migration of thousands to the north, and what is called "European identity" or what it means to inhabit a continent, whether its majority is black or white. The literal translation of the German title is "Gold... Goes... Going," taken from a language lesson attended by the protagonist along with a refugee. The translator stated that changing the title was "an attempt to express the refugee crisis, where the only thing connecting them to their homeland is the (mobile phone), representing the only communication channel with their families and friends, and even their means of bonding in exile."