THE ZERO LINE – Novel From the War

  • An existential book and a deeply personal, life-threatening adventure.
  • Szczepan Twardoch powerfully writes about war, the East, the 20th century, and human nature.
  • 1 million copies of his works sold in Poland altogether! 
  • The film rights to Die Nulllinie have been optioned.
  • #2 of the Spiegel Book Prize 2025!
  • English sample translation available.

translated by: Olaf Kühl

What is worth fighting for? And how does war impact the human soul?

War, conflict, and the darkness within humans are recurring themes in Szczepan Twardoch's life and in all his books. In the past two years, he has traveled to war zones multiple times as the only Western author to reach the front line in eastern Ukraine. He accompanied soldiers, officers, and ordinary people as well as strategists, delivering aid, witnessing death, and facing danger himself.

In this narrative and existential book, Twardoch writes about war, looking back and reflecting on his grandfathers who fought in the world wars. He examines the 20th century and ponders the concept of violence through the lens of Thucydides. Enriched by his experiences and readings, as well as his conversations with people fighting for everything, this novel is a deep exploration of life, freedom, death, and courage.

"The great fascination lies in the rhythm of the language, its boiling flow, its curiosity, its relentlessness." Florian Illies on Demut

Contact Foreign Rights
Sample Translations
Rights sold to

Belarus - Andrei Yanushkevich | Hungary - Typotex | Italy - Sellerio | Japan - Shueisha | Slovakia - Absynt | Spain - Acantilado | Ukraine - Fabula/Ranok 

  • Publisher: Rowohlt Berlin
  • Translated by: Olaf Kühl
  • Release: 15.04.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-7371-0209-4
  • 256 Pages
  • Author: Szczepan Twardoch

Awards

  • 2026: Shortlist - Karl-Dedecius-Preis
  • 2025: nominiert - SPIEGEL Buchpreis
  • 2025: empfohlen - SWR Bestenliste

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Buchcover von THE ZERO LINE – Novel From the War: Roman aus dem Krieg
Szczepan Twardoch THE ZERO LINE – Novel From the War
Portrait von Szczepan Twardoch
© Jacek Poremba
Szczepan Twardoch

Szczepan Twardoch , born in 1979, is one of the outstanding authors of contemporary literature. His breakthrough came with  Morphin  (2012). Twardoch and his German translator Olaf Kühl were honoured with the Brücke Berlin Prize in 2016 for the novel  Drach , and in 2019 Twardoch received the Samuel Bogumił Linde Prize. His most recent highly acclaimed novels include Kälte (2024),  Demut  (2022) and Der Boxer  (2018). In 2025, his latest novel  Die Nulllinie was published. Szczepan Twardoch lives with his family in Pilchowice/Silesia.