Festival Neue Literatur 2013 kicked off with a lovely reception at the Goethe-Institut New York/German Book Office New York in Soho, Manhattan, on February 21, 2013. In its fourth year, Festival Neue Literatur continued to feature up-and-coming German-language authors from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. This year’s authors were Clemens Setz (Austria), Cornelia Travnicek (Austria), Leif Randt (Germany), Silke Scheuermann (Germany), Ulrike Ulrich (Switzerland), and Tim Krohn (Switzerland), as well as U.S. authors Joshua Ferris and Justin Taylor.
Over 150 publishing professionals attended the festival’s opening reception. Not only did the reception serve as the start of Festival Neue Literatur, but the inaugural Friedrich Ulfers Prize was also awarded to Carol Brown Janeway that evening. Daniel Kehlmann gave a moving laudatio about Carol Brown Janeway and her translation achievements, specifically in relation to himself.
From left: Martin Rauchbauer, Carol Brown Janeway, Friedrich Ulfers, Daniel Kehlmann
The Friedrich Ulfers Prize was established in 2013 and will be awarded annually by Deutsches Haus at New York University to a leading publisher, writer, critic, translator, or scholar who has championed the advancement of German-language literature in the United States. The prize winner receives $5,000, donated by Professor Ulfers, a renowned NYU scholar and former director of Deutsches Haus at NYU. The Friedrich Ulfers Prize is Festival Neue Literatur’s testimony to the rising importance of German-language literature in America.
The day after the reception the first public event, Encounters Across the Ocean, was held. The featured authors spoke about their current books and future projects in the beautiful, antique-style setting of Deutsches Haus at Columbia University. Graduate students from the German and Creative Writing Programs had prepared discussion questions for the authors, one student per author. At the end of the event, the audience was able to ask questions and speak directly with the authors.
Cornelia Travnicek (center) entertains Martin Rauchbauer (left) and Ulrike Ulrich (right)
Saturday evening’s event, Closed Circuits: Shrunken Dystopias, at powerHouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn, was a great success despite the rainy weather. The cavernous bookstore felt quite cozy once we all gathered in front of authors Leif Randt, Clemens Setz, and Justin Taylor, and moderator Susan Bernofsky. The four spoke together about how dystopias can exist anywhere and in many forms, and at the end took questions from the audience.
From left: Justin Taylor, Leif Randt, Clemens Setz, Susan Bernofsky
Early Sunday afternoon, all six of our featured authors read from their books in the original German at Deutsches Haus NYU for the ever-popular, and “sold-out”* Frühschoppen: A Literary Brunch. Actors Jocelyn Kuritzky and Andrew Garman read from the authors’ works in English. After the readings, traditional German fare including Currywurst, Weißwurst, pretzels, salad, and Sauerkraut. Needless to say, this was gobbled up fairly quickly.
From left: Andrew Garman (actor), Susan Bernofsky, Claudia Steinberg, Clemens Setz
The last event of the festival had to compete with the Oscars broadcast, but did a good job. Breaking Away: Contemporary Travelogues filled all the seats McNally Jackson Books had to offer, and moderator Claudia Steinberg interviewed authors Tim Krohn, Cornelia Travnicek, Ulrike Ulrich, and Joshua Ferris together on a panel to discuss how different travel narratives can be.
From left: Claudia Steinberg, Ulrike Ulrich, Cornelia Travnicek, Tim Krohn, Joshua Ferris
Preparations are already underway for Festival Neue Literatur 2014, so be sure to keep an eye on the website!
From top left: Clemens Setz, Cornelia Travnicek, Tim Krohn, (second row) Silke Scheuermann, Ulrike Ulrich, Leif Randt, (third row) Claudia Steinberg, director Brittany Hazelwood, Susan Bernofsky
*All festival events were free.