Name: Die Diplomatin
Start: 2025-11-22T15:00:00+02:00
Location: Limassol International Book Fair

Discussion with the author Lucy Fricke and the translator Theo Votsos at the 4th Limassol International Book Fair
Moderated by Constantia Soteriou.
22 November 2025, 15:00. Stage 5. Lanitis Carob Mills, Limassol
On November 22, German author Lucy Fricke and her translator Theo Votsos will speak about her novel The Diplomat, at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut.
In her novel The Diplomat, Lucy Fricke tells the story of Fred, a seasoned and ambitious German consul who feels at home everywhere and nowhere—until she experiences her first professional failure in Montevideo. Her reassignment to Istanbul, amid political tensions, presents her with the greatest challenge of her career. Torn between diplomatic duties, personal loneliness, and moral dilemmas, she begins to question the core values of her profession.
With biting humor and a sharp eye, Lucy Fricke portrays a woman who loses faith in diplomacy – and in the patience that has sustained her until now.
Lucy Fricke, born in Hamburg and now living in Berlin, has received multiple awards for her literary work. Most recently, she was awarded the Roswitha Prize in 2024, a German literary award honoring outstanding achievements by women living in Europe. Her novel Daughters received the Bavarian Book Prize in 2018, was translated into eight languages, and successfully adapted for cinema.
Theo Votsos, born in Stuttgart to Greek guest workers, works as a literary translator, translating works from Greek and German. He is also a freelance editor for various print and online media in the fields of film and literature.
Constantia Soteriou, born in Nicosia, is one of Cyprus’s most prominent contemporary authors. Soteriou’s literary work focuses on Cyprus’s recent history, particularly the tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the consequences after 1974.
Take this opportunity to engage with contemporary German-language literature.