2005 wurde er erstmals verliehen, der Deutsche Buchpreis. Ausgelobt vom Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, will er den besten deutschsprachigen Roman des Jahres küren – eine Entscheidung, die aus einem Angebot von meist rund 160 eingereichten Romanen von einer siebenköpfigen, jährlich wechselnden Jury aus Literaturkritikern und Buchhändlern besteht. Von Anfang an stand die am britischen Man…
Debates and recommendations
2014, Debates and recommendations
Quality of literature/ Qualität der Literatur
by Vea Kaiser •
Translations are like fashion: what’s popular at one moment can change later on. Chris Meade and Ferdinand Schmatz at the European Literature Days 2013. Professor Schmatz, who teaches at the Institute for Creative Writing, University of Applied Arts, points out the influence of the book market on teaching. This led him to modify the idea…
2014, Debates and recommendations
An Indian Summer For Book Lovers
by Rosie Goldsmith •
An Indian Summer for Book Lovers Life is always good for book-lovers. We live in a state of constant excitement. There are always new books, always some gossipy book news and always old books to read anew. We always have something to look forward to – especially at this time of year! In the UK…
2014, Debates and recommendations
‘Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business’. (Winston Churchill)
by Rosie Goldsmith •
If you’re a politician in Britain today everything is political. Even your holidays. Whether you even go on holiday. Who with (Silvio Berlusconi is not a good idea. Cf. Mr Blair). What you wear (sandals and shorts? You mean, politicians have legs?!). Where you go on holiday (Europe=in favour of the EU; Scotland=in favour of…
2014, Debates and recommendations
ENJOYING A EUROPEAN HEATWAVE
by Rosie Goldsmith •
For once we in the UK share something positive with the rest of Europe: we’re enjoying a heatwave! But in spite of our generally Eurosceptic tendencies in the UK, I am happy to announce that we are also sharing more than high temperatures – an interest in European literature. We may not have the statistics…
2014, Debates and recommendations
My Summer Reads (or ‘Life is Too Short to Read a Bad Book’!)
by Rosie Goldsmith •
SUMMER BOOKS 2014 My summer reading is so precious that I start gathering my pile of holiday books as early as Christmas. And I look forward to it like a child at Christmas too, knowing that summer – as it is for many of us – provides our only stretch of real relaxation all year.…
2014, Debates and recommendations
The Glastonbury of the Mind
by Rosie Goldsmith •
President Bill Clinton famously described the UK’s Hay-on-Wye literature festival as ‘the Woodstock of the Mind’. But for me ‘Woodstock’ doesn’t quite convey the quintessential British nature of 2 of our greatest summer festivals at Hay and Glastonbury. Yes, ofcourse ‘Woodstock’ implies tents and fields, festival chic and mind-expanding events but it doesn’t convey ‘British…
2014, Debates and recommendations
BRAZIL or the BALKANS?
by Rosie Goldsmith •
On a hot sunny Friday in June 2014 a group of us were engaged in heated battle. No, it wasn’t over whether England would win (!) at the World Cup in Brazil but over the Balkans. The UK has a pretty poor record on both ‘pitches’ but this was an intellectual battle over definitions and it…
2014, Debates and recommendations
Europe’s Literature Festivals/ Europa und seine Literaturfestivals
by Walter Grond •
On the last weekend in May, the 36th Solothurner Literaturtage and Pro Helvetia (the Swiss Arts Council) invited several organisers of literature festivals to take part in an exchange of ideas. Especially interesting for me were the discussions that threw light on the workings of the literary scene in Europe. The first point to note…
2014, Debates and recommendations
INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE 2014
by Rosie Goldsmith •
A minor earthquake took place in the UK this week. No, it wasn’t the results of the European Elections (although the earth certainly has moved there) but the amazing news that in May 2014 the bestseller list in the UK was topped by 3 foreign titles – yes, 3 TRANSLATED novels! Remember, we have the…