New York, New York (PRWEB) November 24, 2014

DECEMBER 5 & 6, 2014

AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM

11 E 52nd St, New York, NY 10022, United States

+1 212-319-5300

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The New Literature from Europe Festival returns to Manhattan this December 5 & 6 for its 11th year, bringing with it nine of Europe’s most acclaimed and exciting authors. Over two days, Crossing Borders: Europe Through the Lens of Time explores an ever-changing continent from the perspective of some of Europe’s most compelling literary voices.

“The New Literature from Europe Festival is proudly presented in New York by a committee of nine European cultural centers based in the City. We could not be more thrilled by this year’s line-up of authors representing the most exciting voices from each of our center’s countries and presented in conversations with award-winning American authors, dedicated to helping us promote literature in translation to American audiences,” says NLE President Sean Bye of the Polish Cultural Institute.

The opening night program on December 5th takes audience members on a journey across Europe from Chechnya, via Berlin, the former Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria, to France and from Italy to Poland, via Romania and Hungary. This special evening of readings is introduced by one of America’s premier publishers of literature in translation, New Directions Publishing President, Barbara Epler.

Saturday, December 6th delves deeper into each of the visiting writers’ work with a series of themed panel discussions moderated by US-based award winning authors dedicated to the promotion of international literature.

Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the bestselling novels ‘Harbor’ and ‘The Room and the Chair’, Lorraine Adams, the panel ‘Love in a Time of War’ explores what intimacy looks like during uncertain and violent times. ‘Emma’s Silence’, by Susanne Scholl (Austria), tells of an encounter between an elderly Viennese woman and a woman who has fled to Austria to escape conflict in Chechnya. Nicol Ljubić’s (Germany) ‘Stillness of the Sea’ is a love story complicated by fallouts from the Yugoslav wars. Set in war-torn Poland, ‘Chasing the King of Hearts’, by Hanna Krall (Poland), is a tale of desperation – for redemption, for justice, and for love.

‘True Grit – Beating the Odds’, moderated by Ian Buruma (Erasmus Prize-winner, and current Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College), ties together narratives in which the protagonists face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Julia Deck’s (France) ‘Viviane’ explores madness and sanity through an engrossing murder mystery. Using an Italy on the brink of collapse as its backdrop, Davide Longo’s (Italy) ‘Last Man Standing’ tells the tale of a disgraced professor trying to muster up the courage to transport his children to safety. ‘The Kid’, by János Háy (Hungary), deals with the effects failure can have on one’s life and mental health.

Siri Hustvedt, Gabarron International Award for Thought and Humanties-recipient and author of the bestselling books ‘What I Loved’ and ‘The Summer Without Men’, moderates ‘Buried Secrets’, a panel whose theme is untold truths hidden beneath the surface. ‘Aaron’s Leap’, by Magdaléna Platzová (Czech Republic), tells the real-life story of a woman who taught art to children in a Nazi transport camp and died in Auschwitz, through the perspective of a modern day film crew delving into the past. Lucian Dan Teodorovici’s (Romania) ‘Matei The Brown’ follows a man afflicted with amnesia, as he tries to piece together his past and deal with a policeman who has taken to following him. Set in the aftermath of Communism’s collapse in Bulgaria, Georgi Tenev’s (Bulgaria) ‘Party Headquarters’ weaves an intriguing narrative in which the protagonist sets out to deliver a suitcase filled with illegitimate money for his dying father-in-law.

This year’s festival wraps-up with the award ceremony for the annual Polish Government Found in Translation Award. This year’s winner is Philip Boehm, for his translation of ‘Chasing the King of Hearts’ by Hanna Krall.

For more information and the full program, please visit

http://www.newlitfromeurope.org

The 11th Annual New Literature from Europe Festival, Crossing Borders: Europe Through the Lens of Time, Dec. 5-6, Austrian Cultural Forum New York (11 E 52nd St, New York)

FOR INTERVIEWS WITH THE AUTHORS, PHOTOGRAPHS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

JILL BRACK jill(at)20squarefeet(dot)com 917-573-2388

CARO LLEWELLYN caro(at)20squarefeet(dot)com 212-203-9443

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