Dear Reader,

 

 

I am delighted to introduce issue 33 of New Books in German: spring is finally springing here in London and our bright yellow plumage captures the vernal mood. After the focus on Berlin and Zurich in our previous issues, we now head to Vienna, Austria’s capital, to savour the diverse literary life of the city on the Danube. Mary Penman’s article on Vienna’s Book Fair and ‘Festival of Reading’, Lesefestwoche, captures the variety of literary offerings throughout the city during one of Austria’s newest and most imaginative literary festivals. Samuel Willcocks’ piece on Vienna’s independent publishing scene showcases some of the forward-thinking and innovative publishers who are a vital force behind Austria’s new literary talent. And we hear about last summer’s inspirational gathering at the European Literature Days, set amid the breathtaking scenery of Spitz an der Donau.

 

This issue is chock-full of reviews of new work by gifted Austrian writers. The first four novels profiled in these pages, by Eva Menasse, Barbara Frischmuth, Robert Schindel and Michael Köhlmeier, demonstrate the breadth of high quality writing in contemporary Austria. We also feature an interview with Ross Benjamin, the US translator of Austrian literary superstar Clemens J. Setz, revealing fascinating insights into the unique style and composition of his latest novel, Indigo. As a testament to the vibrancy of Austrian literary life, the authors of two of our four debut novels – Anita Augustin and Isabella Straub – were born in Austria, while the remaining two – Hannes Stein and Pyotr Magnus Nedov – were raised there.

 

In addition, we feature a review of the extraordinary oeuvre of established Austrian author Gerhard Roth, while our ‘Forgotten Gem’ highlights a neglected novel by Rudolf Brunngraber.

 

Of course Austrian fiction is only one component of the wealth of German-language titles selected here. We also feature first-class novels by Swiss writers Jonas Lüscher, Sunil Mann and Matthias Zschokke, in addition to some outstanding new titles by German authors Monika Held, Inger-Maria Mahlke and Astrid Rosenfeld. Our non-fiction selection in this issue includes a pioneering study of the Roma gypsy community and the first biography of Angela Merkel. Titles for children and young adults range from Klaus Kordon’s beautifully evoked novel of historical heartbreak to Christian Loeffelbein’s hilarious book set in a school for badly behaved monsters.

 

New Books in German is always a collaborative effort by people who are passionate about German-language literature, and this issue has particularly benefitted from the involvement of our steering and editorial committees, the hard work by Grace Moss at the German Book Office in New York, and the dedication of our editorial assistants: Jen Calleja, Carly McLaughlin and Helen Rutley. Special thanks are due to our editorial consultant Sheridan Marshall, whose boundless enthusiasm and creativity have given this issue its spark. We hope that, in time-honoured Viennese fashion, you will sit back with some ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ and enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.