Dear Readers,
What do you look for in a book? I am personally fascinated by stories that make the world clearer to me through the way they are told, or maybe open up the world in a new way. When a text transports me into other realms of thought, then what happens in the story is not as important to me as how it is told. A distinctive narrative voice is like a song I want to listen to again and again, because it captures a special mood.
In this year’s program at the international literature festival berlin, we have selected a number of authors who bring form and content together in this congenial way. I am particularly looking forward to an event with Thomas Korsgaard from Denmark and Iida Turpeinen from Finland – two young authors who are currently causing an international sensation with their debut novels. In his »Trilogy of Tue« (German translation: Justus Carl, Kerstin Schöps), Korsgaard tells a coming-of-age story. As tender as it is funny, it is set on a farm in rural Denmark. Turpeinen’s »Das Wesen des Lebens« (German translation: Maximilian Murmann; English appearing in 2025) spans topics ranging from early research trips to the Bering Sea to the contemporary extinction of species. On Sun 08 Sep 2024 at 18:00 you can experience the two writers for the first time in Berlin at New Voices from Scandinavia.
Here are a few additional “don’t-miss” discoveries:
- Finn Job and Raphaëlle Red are two new literary voices whose respective debut novels prove that the road novel is still alive and well, long after Jack Kerouac.
New German Voices | Sat 07 Sep | 19:30
- Sofia Andrukhovych – The final part of her grand epic about the history of Ukraine in the 20th century and the search for love and unity will be published in German this fall (German translation: Alexander Kratochvil and Maria Weissenböck). She was awarded the 2024 Hermann Hesse Prize. Amadoka Trilogy | Sun Sep 8 | 20:00
- Nona Fernández and Alia Trabucco Zerán – These two authors examine contemporary Chile. In Zerán’s »Clean« (English translation: Sophie Hughes), a child dies, and the housekeeper is questioned. Her account reveals a complex web of relationships full of coldness and silent violence. In Fernández’s »The Twilight Zone« (English translation: Natasha Wimmer), memories refuse to rest, repeatedly returning to the years of the Pinochet dictatorship.
Historia de la violencia: New Voices from Chile | Sun Sep 11 | 18:00
- Hiroko Oyamada – »The Hole« (English translation: David Boyd) tells the story of a young woman who quits her job to move to the countryside with her husband, into a house next to her in-laws. Awarded the prestigious Japanese Akutagawa Prize, this slender, surreal novel is a true discovery. Oyamada presents her book in a discussion with Berlin author Miku Sophie Kühmel.
The Hole | Fri Sep 13 | 20:00
Tender and poetic, humorous, quirky, emotional, or fantastical – these books have something for everyone. Join us for these discoveries and experience these wonderful authors live at this year’s festival.
Simone Schröder
(Head of Program)