Graphic artist and designer Stian Hole, born in east Norwegian Hokksund, in 1969, is among Scandinavia’s most innovative picture book illustrators. After finishing his visual communication studies at the National School of Arts and Crafts in Oslo he and his colleagues founded the agency »Blæst Design«, specialising in book design
Steffen Popp was born in Greifswald in 1978 and grew up in Dresden. He published his volume of poetry, »Wie Alpen« (2004; t: Like Alps), and the novel »Ohrenberg oder der Weg dorthin« (2006; t: Ohrenberg or the way there), and translated Christian Hawkey’s poems, collected under the title »Reisen
Steinunn Sigurðardóttir was born in Reykjavík. She studied psychology and philosophy in Dublin. With her poetry debut »Sífellur« (1969; tr. Continuances) she made a name for herself already at the age of 19. Sigurðardóttir was a reporter and news correspondent for the Icelandic Radio until the 1980s. She wrote TV
Sjón (Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson), born in 1962 in Rezkjavik, had already joined lceland’s literary scene as a young man. He published his first book of poems, »Sýnir« (1978, tr: Visions) at age 15. More poems were soon to follow, which were re-published in 1986 in the collection »Drengurinn með röntgenaugum«
Sherko Fatah was born in East Berlin in 1964 to an Iraqi Kurd father and a German mother. In 1975, his parents moved to West Germany, where Fatah studied philosophy and art history. He visited Iraq several times. In 2001, he published his début »Im Grenzland« (tr: At the Borderline),
Seray Şahiner, born in Bursa in 1984, grew up in Istanbul, where she studied journalism until 2007. Whilst a student she worked for the culture magazine »Hayvan« and was a member of the editorial staff of the literary magazine »Aylak«. She also co-published the fanzines »Kaygan Zemin« and »Kara Kutu«.
Sergio Garau comes from Sardinia, but studied in Torino, where he started writing for the performance group »Sparajurij Lab«. They took part in many poetry slams all over Italy, such as in the BIG Torino 2002, the first International Slam in Italy at the Biennale for young artists. In 2007
Rüdiger Safranski was born in Rottweil, Germany in 1945. He studied Philosophy, German and History in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. He worked as editor and co-publisher of the “Berliner Hefte” from 1977-81. He gained recognition chiefly through his biographies of Schopenhauer, Heidegger and Nietzsche. On the anniversary of Schiller’s
Rolf Hosfeld born in 1948 in Bad Berleburg. He was a free lanced writer and historian as well as the Academic Director of the Potsdam Lepsius House, an institute in Genocide Research. He studied German language and literature, political science, history and philosophy in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, and
Richard Wagner was born Lowrin, in the Banat region, in 1952. He studied Romanian and German language and literature in Temeswar and worked as a German teacher and later as a journalist, in Transylvania – for the weekly »Karpatenrundschau« among others. He was a founding member of the »Aktionsgruppe Banat«,
Rattawut Lapcharoensap was born in Chicago in 1979. He grew up in Bangkok and studied at the Triamudomsuksa Pattanakarn School in the Thai capital, at Cornell University in New York, and at the University of Michigan. He graduated from the latter institution with a degree in Creative Writing. He has
Qassim Haddad was born on the island of Muharrad in 1948. From early on he was reluctant towards academic constraints, yet an avid reader, largely self-taught, and working, as an adolescent, as a construction worker in order to help support his family. His involvement in the country’s opposition movement earned
