Speed Dating can be a Lot of Fun, Especially if Each Encounter is from a Different European Country

Here’s presenting literature enthusiasts the opportunity to speed-date with

• 10 authors from

• 10 European countries in

• 07 different European languages!

Join in for an evening of literary encounters in French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish and Spanish with authors from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. The authors will present readings of their texts in their respective languages as well as in English.

• On Friday 23 September 2016 at 5:30 pm

• at Instituto Cervantes, 48 Hanuman Road, New Delhi

• For Public: Entry by prior registration. Email - longnightlit(at)gmail.com to register.

• Registration open from: 12^th – 20^th September 2016

An initiative supported by the European Union, this evening of readings is a collaborative presentation by Austrian Cultural Forum, Wallonie-Bruxelles International and Embassy of Belgium, Institut Français en Inde, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Polish Institute, Insituto Cervantes, Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council and Embassy of Switzerland.

List of participating authors:

• Vea Kaiser, Austria

• Jean-Pierre Orban, Belgium

• Makenzy Orcel, France

• Line Hoven, Germany

• Roland Orcsik, Hungary

• Laila Wadia, Italy

• Johan Harstad, Norway

• Jacek Dehnel, Poland

• Gabriela  Ybarra, Spain

• Markus Kirchhofer, Switzerland

The format encourages the audience to listen to many authors through the course of the evening. Each author reads to an audience of about 12-15 people for 20 minutes. The group then moves to the next room to listen to another author. This concept allows the audience to have close interactions with the authors.

Brief on each author

Austria
Vea Kaiser, born in 1988, studies Ancient Greek in Vienna. Her debut novel “Blasmusikpop", published 2012, was awarded in 2013 as the best German-language debut at the “International Festival du Premier Roman” in Chambéry and nominated for the “aspekte” prize. In 2014 Vea was writer-in-residence at Bowling Green State University and was elected as the Austrian author of the year. In 2015, her second novel "Makarionissi", which is the best-selling novel of the year in Austria, was awarded by the Publisher Ravensburger as "Best Family novel".

Belgium
Jean-Pierre Orban, born in Belgium to Belgian and Italian parents, spent his childhood in Africa. After previously living in Brussels and London the author now resides in Paris. He has written in French for theatre, for children and young adults, and has published many short stories in literary magazines and collective works. His novel “Vera”, published in 2014 by Le Mercure de France (Gallimard Group) has won several prizes: Prix du meilleur premier roman français 2014, Prix Saga du meilleur roman francophone belge 2015, Prix de l’Académie des lettres françaises de Belgique, Prix du Livre européen 2015 (the “Europe Book Prize 2015”).  The novel is now being adapted for TV / cinema. His latest work is “Nous nous ressemblons tant (We are so alike)” a poetical narrative (December 2014). He has recently accomplished a long literary biography of the Belgian writer Pierre Mertens, which will be published in 2017. Jean-Pierre Orban is now writing a sequel, thematically speaking, of Vera, which also takes place in part in London. Orban is a translator (Mark Twain, Hanif Kureishi), director of a book series and an associate-researcher in literature at the Institute of modern texts and manuscripts in Paris.

France
Makenzy Orcel is a novelist and poet. Born in Port-au-Prince in 1983, he constantly travels between Haiti, the U.S and France where his publisher, Zulma Publishing house, is established. After “Les Immortelles (“The Immortals” / Under the Peepal Tree)” a very moving work of fiction about the Haiti earthquake of 2010, he is back with “L’Ombre animale” and, as he always does, he gives voice to the voiceless and the deprived, and creates a powerful chorus of love, violence and hope.

Germany
Line Hoven, born in 1977, lives and works as a freelance illustrator and comic artist. Her graphic novel “Liebe schaut weg (Love looks away)” has been translated into a number of languages, won the ICOM Independent award and awarded with the e.o. Plauen Förderpreis (e.o. Plauen sponsorship award). Together with Jochen Schmidt her books “Dudenbrooks” and “Schmythologie” got recently published. Her scratchboard works are regularly featured in a number of different magazines and newspapers like Strapazin, Le Monde diplomatique and in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In 2017 Line Hoven will hold the Max Kade Distiguished Visiting Professorship at Dartmouth College, U.S.A.

Hungary
Roland Orcsik was born in Becse (Serbia, ex-Yugoslavia) in 1975. Since 1992 he lives in Szeged in Hungary where he studied and now he is working at the University of Szeged in the Institute of Slavonic Studies. Orcsik is one of the editors of literary monthly "Tiszatáj”. He writes poetry, criticism, and translates from a number of Ex-Yugoslavian languages into Hungarian. His research focuses on Hungarian and Yugoslav literary contacts. So far he has published four books of poems, and Mahler downloaded is translated into Serbian. Rule of Thirds (2015) is his last published collection.
 

Italy
Laila Wadia is a multilingual storyteller who was born in India but now lives in Trieste, Italy. She teaches English at the University of Trieste and is also a translator, interpreter, journalist, poet, playwright and screenplay writer. She has won several awards and published numerous novels and short story collections in Italian on intercultural issues, migration, food and women’s issues including: Il Burattinaio e altre storie extra-italiane (“Cosmo Iannone” 2004); “Pecore Nere” (Laterza 2005); “Mondopentola” (“Cosmo Iannone”, 2007); “Amiche per la pelle” (e/o, 2007); “Come diventare italiani in 24 ore” (Barbera 2010); “Se tutte le donne” (Barbera 2012); “Il testimone di Pirano” (Infinito Edizioni 2016); “Kitchensutra” (2016). Later this year an adaptation of Wadia’s novel “Amiche per la pelle” will be released as a movie called “Babylon Sisters” for which she has also written the screenplay. For further information: lailawadia.mysupersite.it
 

Norway
Johan Harstad, born in 1979, offers a wholly original voice and is one of Norway’s most obvious talents for many years. He made his debut at the age of 21, with a contribution to the anthology "Postboks 6860" in 2000. He released thereafter his first collection of prose works, "From here on you just get older", in 2001. This was followed by a collection of short stories, "Ambulance" in 2002, which was received with critical acclaim. In 2005, he published his first novel "Buzz Aldrin, what happened to you in all the confusion?" which was later adapted into a TV-series. Another novel, "Hässelby", followed in 2007. In 2009, Johan Harstad was employed as the first house playwright at Norway’s national theatre. He has published two volumes of plays; "BSIDES" in 2008 and "Etc." in 2010. For "Etc." he received the National Ibsen Award. Translation rights to his previous titles have been sold to 22 countries. Johan Harstad published the novel "Max, Mischa and the Tet Offensive" in 2015. Friendship, exile, love, war and art: Johan Harstad’s breathtaking new epic has it all. Photo credit: John Erik Riley.

Poland
Jacek Dehnel was born in Gdańsk in 1980. He graduated in Polish studies at Warsaw University and lives in Warsaw. He has published eight volumes of poetry, including: "Żywoty równoległe" ("Parallel Lives", 2004), "Brzytwa okamgnienia" ("Razorblade Flash", 2007) and "Języki obce" ("Foreign languages", 2013). He has also published four novels: "Lala" (2006), "Saturn" (2011), "Matka Makryna" ("Mother Macrina", 2014) and "Krivoklat" (2016), and a number of other prose books, including collections of short stories, novellas and mini-essays on old photographs. His work has appeared in many literary periodicals and he writes columns for the "Polityka" magazine and Wirtualna Polska ("Virtual Poland") website. He has translated verse by poets including Philip Larkin, George Szirtes and Karlis Verdins, as well as novels, including "The Great Gatsby" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James. He has won many major literary prizes in Poland, including the Kościelski Foundation Award (2005) and the Paszport Polityki (2006, for "Lala"). His works have been translated into over twenty languages. Photo credit: Cezary Rucki

Spain
Gabriela Ybarra was born in Bilbao in 1983. She studied business administration and management at the University Pontificia de Comillas, got a master degree in marketing at the New York University, she has spent three years there. Now she is living in Madrid, works with analyzing social networks and preparing marketing studies. Gabriela has made an eye-catching début with "El Comensal" (The Dinner Guest) a fascinating first novel about two life-changing events: the murder of her grandfather, a businessman and former mayor of Bilbao, Javier Ybarra, by the terrorist group ETA in 1977, and the illness and death of her mother from cancer 4 years ago. The author recreates these experiences in a high quality first person narrative that presents a brave reflection on death. The literary treatment of the grief of the victims of ETA and the effect of daily death threats is particularly notable. With a clear, direct style, the author powerfully communicates the reality and contexts of these two deaths without succumbing to victimhood, including a reflection on her grandfather’s killers and the memory of sessions at the hospital with her mother during her final days.  The book had attracted a lot of media and critical attention and is already in its fourth edition.  Published by Caballo de Troya (Penguin Random House).

Switzerland
Markus Kirchhofer, born in 1963 in the Canton of Aargau in Switzerland, worked as a cultural interpreter at the Stapferhaus in Lenzburg Castle. After studying in Paris, Markus worked as a teacher and a teacher trainer. He has been a freelance writer since 2013. Markus Kirchhofer has authored ten graphic novels, which he published together with the Swiss illustrators Diego Balli, Hannes Binder, Reto Gloor, Melk Thalmann and Silvan Wegmann as well as with Iranian illustrator Parsua Bashi. His first solo publications, a volume of poems titled “Eisfischen” (2014) and a book of short stories “Der Stachel” (2016), were published by the Knapp Verlag in Switzerland.  Apart from his books, Markus Kirchhofer has written columns and been involved in theatre and exhibition making. Markus Kirchhofer’s literary works have received numerous awards. He recently received grants from the Aargau Kuratorium (2014) and Pro Helvetia- Swiss Arts Council (2015).  Markus lives in Oberkulm, Switzerland.

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