»You cannot escape Vilnius«. This core sentence from Ricardas Gavelis’s best known novel, »Vilniaus pokeris«, published in 1989 and the cause of much controversy and discussion, could stand as a motto above the literary output of the Lithuanian narrative writer, dramatist and political and social commentator. Born in Vilnius in
Rachel Trezise , was born in 1978 in Rhondda Valley, South Wales, studied at the universities of Glamorgan, Wales and Limerick in Ireland. The debut novel of the author and journalist, “In and out of the Goldfish Bowl”, was one of the winners of the highly regarded ‘Orange Future Awards’
Philip Gwynne was born in 1958 in Melbourne and grew up with seven brothers and sisters in South Australia where his stories about Blacky, Dumby Red and Clarence are also set. Philip Gwynne has had many diverse professions. Before he started writing, he was a professional ‘Australian Rules’ footballer. When
Peter Truschner was born in Klagenfurt in 1967 and grew up in Kärnten, Austria, in Maria Saal, the village already immortalised in literature by Thomas Bernhard and Peter Turrini. He studied Communications, Philosophy and Politics at Salzburg University and from 1990 onwards his work was published in various cultural and
Péter Zilahy was born in Budapest in 1970. After finishing school he studied philosophy and anthropology at the ELTE University in Budapest. From 1997 to 1999 he was managing editor of the Internet magazine »Link Budapest«, a magazine published in English and Hungarian, for contemporary literature. Since 1998 he is
Petr Borkovec was born in Louòovice, central Bohemia, in 1970. Since 1992 the poet and arts editor has worked for the arts magazine »Souvislosti« (t: Connections) and since 2000 with the literature journal »Literární noviny«. As a translator, his interests have been predominantly in Russian poetry (for example, Vladimir Nabokov,
Peter Kurzeck was born in 1943 in Bohemia and grew up as a refugee child in a village near Giessen. Early in his life he began writing and published texts in local newspapers and journals. He broke off his apprenticeship in a grocer’s shop repeatedly to travel to Vienna, Paris
Peter Schneider was born in Lübeck in 1940 and grew up in Freiburg, where he began his studies in German language, history and philosophy. He completed his education in Berlin. He wrote speeches for SPD politicians during the Bundestag election campaign in 1965. Schneider quickly found a role as one
Is Pauline Melville related to Herman Melville, the author of ‘Moby Dick’? If she was, she wouldn’t utter a word about it as her own life story remains a well guarded secret. Thus, only fragments are known from her biography: her mother was English and her father came from Guyana.
The Swiss author, Paul Nizon remains outside any trends of contemporary German-language literature. Althrough he was loosly associated with the group 47, he now remains apart from any particular movement; he once described himself as “a writer of part autobiography and part fiction”. Nizon was born in 1929 as a
Ouyang Jianghe, a significant figure in modern Chinese poetry, was born in 1956 in Luzhou in the province of Sichuan. According to the »Down to the Countryside Movement«, he was sent to work as a tea grower after leaving school. From 1979 he did four years military service. Ouyang Jianghe
Norman Ohler was born in Zweibrücken, Rheinland-Pfalz, in 1970. After graduating from the renowned Hamburg School of Journalism, he wrote for »Der Spiegel« and »Stern«. »Geo« sent him to South Africa for a special issue on the country’s tumultuous transition from apartheid to democracy. In 1993 Ohler moved to New
