New Books in German speaks to Claudia Romeder, Publishing Director at Residenz Verlag, discussing the Austrian publishing house’s history and focus, the talented authors in Residenz’s programme, and the books we need to be reading in 2025.
Sheridan Marshall: Residenz is one of Austria’s most important publishing houses and was founded in 1956 by Wolfgang Schaffler. Residenz’s authors include some of the biggest names in Austrian literature. Can you tell us about the publishing house’s current focus?
Claudia Romeder: Our focus is on new German-language literature – particularly but not exclusively on Austrian writing. We attach great importance to encouraging young talent – or people who are at the beginning of their writing career – and so we publish a lot of debut titles. We always have at least one debut in our programme, and we try to help authors to establish themselves. Given that the publishing house was founded in 1956, we have several generations of writers, including those who have been with us since Residenz’s early days. One of our earliest authors was H. C. Artmann, and some writers joined us under Schaffler between the mid-1960s and 1970s, and are still with us today: Peter Rosei, Alois Brandstetter, and Peter Henisch. Our younger authors include Káska Bryla, Barbi Marković, Thomas Arzt, and Martin Lechner, who has a new book coming out.
That is one of our focuses, and another one is our translations – we always have one or two in our annual programme. At the moment there are no geographical limitations here, we are primarily interested in whether the content or style of the text fits with our programme.
SM: How does Residenz fit in with the rest of the publishing scene in Austria?
CR: We are one of the leading publishing houses for literature. We also have a small non-fiction programme. We see ourselves first and foremost as a literary publishing house, although we do publish some really very good non-fiction titles, ranging from historical books to books on sustainability and music. Our sixtieth birthday is coming up next year, so we really are a traditional publishing house: our signature style is the high quality of our publications.
We see ourselves as a German-language publishing house, albeit one with a focus on Austrian literature, and we are received in exactly the same way in Germany as in Austria.
SM: And what about the publishing situation in Germany? How do you work together with your German publishing colleagues?
CR: We work really well together with the big German publishing houses, such as Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, and are continually in dialogue with them, as well as conducting license sales. We see ourselves as a German-language publishing house, albeit one with a focus on Austrian literature, and we are received in exactly the same way in Germany as in Austria.
SM: Are there specific challenges you face as an Austrian publishing house?
CR: The challenges we face are to do with our particular size which limits our distribution network in Germany – this is something which could be made stronger. And similarly with the press work – we have outsourced this in Germany because it is easier to handle from a German agency.
SM: Can you tell us about your own career and how you came to work in publishing?
CR: I studied comparative literature and so originally come from a literary background – my great love for literature dates back to my schooldays. Then after my studies I went to work in theatre as a dramaturge. I was based at the Burgtheater in Vienna, and then went to the Schauspielhaus Graz, where I undertook my first international drama projects. I worked with the Swedish writer Henning Mankell in Maputo, Mozambique – he was one of the authors who wrote material especially for us. But then I wanted to go back to my roots, and after this excursion into drama I started working for Residenz. I have only ever worked for Residenz – I don’t have experience of working with any other publishers. I have been with Residenz for nearly twenty years now – I am very loyal!
Our texts address diverse themes and our authors come from very different backgrounds, but each one has their own particular brilliance.
SM: Can you recommend some of the authors on Residenz’s list for us to discover?
CR: Barbi Marković, Káska Bryla, Martin Lechner, Thomas Arzt – to name just a few! I highly recommend Peter Rosei – his work speaks to really diverse audiences. We try to find innovative texts that will resonate with readers and offer a certain sort of cultural understanding and complexity, as well as a coherence in themselves. Our texts address diverse themes and our authors come from very different backgrounds, but each one has their own particular brilliance.
We have a really great debut author working with us at the moment, Caspar-Maria Russo. He has written a novel about the present generation – Gen-Z in fact, although that term isn’t used in the novel. The novel is called Prinzip Ungefähr (‘More or Less’) and uses an incredible language that is unlike anything else, together with a breakneck narrative pace. The novel has just come out this January and is already being very well received in the press. It is receiving a lot of attention on social media too.
The title, ‘More or Less’, also reflects the content – when you don’t feel ready but you have to grow up and be an adult. But how does that work in a relationship? What is a relationship anyway? When can you say that you are in a relationship? The novel asks all these questions and more in an incredibly witty way.
SM: Are there any other new titles for spring 2025 that you can tell us about?
CR: We have a novel that is coming out at the beginning of February, Spät aber doch (‘Better Late Than Never’), which is about an eighty-year-old who falls in love when she reencounters her first love. The author, Erika Pluhar, did in fact meet her first love again in later life, and then developed this idea into this work of fiction. It is very very moving.
And from Thomas Arzt we have Das Unbehagen (‘Unease’), a novel that unfortunately now – because of the prevailing political situation in Europe and elsewhere – is very apt, although this sociopolitical critique is not put into such concrete terms in the text. It is about a teacher who is increasingly overcome by a sense of unease. He sets off on a solitary hike in the mountains in search of a wild animal that is reportedly on the loose and to try and come to terms with his own feelings. It is a novel that is very much in tune with the times.
SM: If you could wave a magic wand and translate three Residenz titles into English this year, which three would you choose? I asked this question of another publisher I interviewed recently, and I’m excited to hear what you say!
CR: I would choose Prinzip Ungefähr (‘More or Less’) by Caspar-Maria Russo, Káska Bryla’s new book that is coming out in autumn 2025, and Thomas Arzt’s Das Unbehagen (‘Unease’).
SM: We currently have five Residenz titles on the New Books in German website – each of these was chosen by our expert jury and receives guaranteed funding for an English-language translation.
Click the book covers to read what we say about each title:
- Vladimir Vertlib, Die Heimreise (‘The Journey Home’)
- Elisabeth Klar, Es gibt uns (‘There is Us’)
- Káska Bryla, Die Eistaucher (‘The Ice Divers’)
- Thomas Arzt, Die Gegenstimme (‘Voice of Dissent’)
- Clemens Berger, Der Präsident (‘The President’)
Are there any signs of interest in these titles from foreign publishers?
CR: Káska’s novel ‘The Ice Divers’ is being translated into French.
SM: Finally, can you give us some top reading tips for 2025?! What titles should we have on our to-read list?
CR: There is an English-language author who hasn’t yet been translated into German, and we’re translating him at the moment: Oisín McKenna. He is twenty-six years old and was born in Dublin. His debut novel is called Evenings and Weekends (4th Estate, 2024) and is a brilliant portrait of thirty-something Londoners during a baking hot summer weekend.
Read on:
For all of the Residenz titles chosen by the New Books in German jury and benefitting from guaranteed translation funding, click here
Sheridan Marshall also spoke to Residenz author Kaśka Bryla for NBG back in 2023. Their conversation covered Viennese coffee houses, death, an economic perspective to literary writing and Kaśka’s writing work across different genres. You can read the interview here.
Claudia Romeder photograph © Aleksandra Pawloff
Claudia Romeder is the Publishing Director at Residenz Verlag, where she has worked since 2006. She previously worked as a dramaturg at the Burgtheater Vienna and Schauspielhaus Graz, among others. Claudia studied Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Vienna and Madrid.
Sheridan Marshall works as a translator from German into English, and as Editorial Consultant for New Books in German.
