For the second time from 3 to 7 April, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised a national presence at the Brussels Book Fair, honouring Luxembourg’s literary creation, primarily in French and English. The “Livres du Luxembourg” stand brought together five Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Hydre Éditions, KIWI E.L.G. and PassaParola Éditions), which presented their publications in literature and non-fiction. For the opening ceremony, a reception was organised at the stand “Livres du Luxembourg”, allowing the invitees of the Brussels Book Fair to discover and meet the various Luxembourgish Publishing houses present. Marc Angel, vice President of the European Parliament, and his H.E. Jean-Louis Thill, Ambassador of Luxembourg in Bruxelles, visited the stand “Livres du Luxembourg”.
As part of the fair’s programme, a reading with Luxembourg authors Jean Portante and Antoine Pohu was organised around the theme of “The architecture of unstable times”. On this occasion, Jean Portante read extracts from Une dernière fois, la Méditérranée (Éditions Phi) and Antoine Pohu from Nous sommes celleux qui marchent dans la ville (Capybarabooks). The reading and discussion was moderated by Rachele Gusella, Literary researcher at the Research Foundation Flanders-FWO. The reading was followed by a book signing of the two authors and a reception at the stand offering a unique networking opportunity to have an exchange with the authors and publishers from Luxembourg.
For the first time, the Brussels Book Fair organised a three-day Workshop “Publishing in the French-Speaking World”, bringing together around 15 French-language publishers. The Luxembourgish publishers Ian De Toffoli (Hydre Éditions) participated at this programme for professionals, developed jointly with several partners, which offered opportunities for discussion, networking, and training, creating unique opportunities for future collaborations and projects.
On the occasion of Luxembourg’s presence at the forthcoming Brussels Book Fair, we present the latest publications of Luxembourg literature in French and English, as well as the latest novels by the authors who will be giving a reading on Friday 5 April from 3.00 to 3.45 pm at the Scène Savoirs at the Brussels Book Fair (*).
Corina Ciocârlie Rouge fantôme
Capybarabooks, 2024, Novel, French
Based on the exploration of a half-real, half-fictional territory, this literary investigation invites the reader to (re)discover – with archive photos and quotes from authors – the history of the Luxembourg coalfield, starting from a place that has disappeared in the Italian quarter of Dudelange. Over the pages and through the generations of migrants who lived there, a treasure hunt unfolds in concentric circles around the zero point, a stone statue of a young woman with amphorae, whose whereabouts are now lost. With her wavy hair and graceful silhouette, this Roman goddess landed on Luxembourg soil and was a magnet for all those who, for one reason or another – a wedding, a couple’s portrait, a family Sunday – wanted to be ‘immortalised’ in the garden of the Café Rossi. A café that has since been demolished, located in a street whose name – Gare-Usines – sums up the history of a town – Dudelange – situated in the middle of the archipelago of angels – Differdange, Rumelange, Schifflange & Co – and twinned with towns from the four corners of the Old Continent: Feltre in Italy, Manom in France, Lauenburg in Germany, Lębork in Poland, Arganil in Portugal, Berane in Montenegro.
Tiziano Fratus, Cœur de forêt – Forest Heart – Cuor di Foresta
Michikusa Publishing, 2023, Poetry, French / Italian
Tiziano Fratus, one of the most original voices in Italian nature writing, is also something more: he is a radical poet, a tree seeker, a philosopher who thinks and finds his thoughts in the woods. His dendrosofia is a desire for arboreal wisdom in which everything is in dialogue with everything else: roots, leaves, birds, insects, sounds, moods, time.
John-Paul Gomez, The Idiot of St. Benedict and Other Stories
Black Fountain Press, September 2023, Novel, English
1st prize National Literary Competition 2022 in the ” Adult Authors ” category
In John-Paul Gomez’s stories, we discover an unlikely medieval church, a dreaded hospital appointment, and characters who emerge from the past, buried but never forgotten. These stories take place somewhere between the world of ‘Black Mirror’ and the imagination of Ray Bradbury. The protagonists find themselves on the uncertain border between reality and the forces of another world, beyond their control. Dystopian ‘what if’ scenarios mingle with everyday concerns and relationships that are losing their lustre. Everything seems to be slipping away from us, our ability to focus as a collective is diminishing more and more, and it’s clear that something is very, very wrong…
Rafael David Kohn, Medea Ajax & Tecmessa
Black Fountain Press, 2024, Theatre, English
Rafael David Kohn’s version of Medea raises essential questions about abandonment, defiance and revenge. As a director, Rafael David Kohn was a pioneer of English-language theatre in Luxembourg.
Robbie Martzen, A Pint of Fish Fingers – Tales of Wonderer
Black Fountain Press, 2024, Prose, English
Why do we travel? And why do Luxembourgers travel so much? Is it the small size of the country – and the resulting claustrophobia for some – that makes it so easy for them to adopt other places as their home away from home? In twenty-six ‘letters’, Robbie Martzen reflects on his own travel experiences and how it feels to be able to compare – and possibly see – your own home in a different light.
*Antoine Pohu, Nous sommes celleux qui marchent dans la ville
Capybarabooks, 2023, Short story, French
An old king walks through the devastated streets of his city. As his bare feet wander through the rubble and dust, he remembers his children, whom he failed to listen to when they came to him one by one to air their grievances. Until they no longer came alone and his only response was to send in the army, triggering a civil war.
*Jean Portante, Une dernière fois, la Méditerranée
Editions Phi, 2023, Fiction, French
Une dernière fois, la Méditerranée brings to a close the trilogy opened in 2015 with L’architecture des temps instables and extended in 2019 with Leonardo. Here we find the Nardelli from Mrs Haroy ou la mémoire de la baleine, who became Rossi in the course of writing, as well as Jean Portante’s favourite themes: migration, war, generational intermingling, secrets buried in the layers of time, and the skilful amalgam of fiction and autobiography. This time, he takes a diversion into the founding myths of travel and exile.
Jean Portante, Œuvres Poétiques Tome 2 : Le Travail de l’étrange langue (2002-2012)
La rumeur libre Éditions, 2024, Poetry, French
Volume 2 presents the poetic work of Jean Portante from 2002 to 2012. The texts published in the collection La Bibliothèque de La rumeur libre wink beyond historical periods and the compartmentalisation of literary genres, participating in a re-evaluation of thought and civilisation, recreating the march of a humanity reconciled with the vitality inherent in the flow of the written word.
Nathalie Ronvaux, L’homme de la rivière
Zoom éditions, 2023, Short stories, French
L’homme de la rivière is the first micro-story in a series entitled L’homme-né du dic’t’on. Inspired by a quotation or saying, the author, with humour and derision, twists the original meaning, or takes it literally. The first text in this series is inspired by a quotation from Lao-tzu: “If someone has offended you, don’t seek revenge. Sit down by the river and soon you will see his corpse go by“. After being humiliated, the protagonist of the story decides to sit on the banks of the river until he gets his redress.
Davide Sapienza, Le cours éternel des choses – Il durante eterno delle cose
Michikusa Publishing, 2024, Poetry, French / Italian
These poems represent a special parenthesis in Davide Sapienza’s work because, as those who know him will know, they were written at a particular moment in the life of a man who came to the crossroads of two paths, one leading down to the valley floor and the other to the heights, invisible in the fog. Davide chose the latter path, and these poems illustrate it.
Claude Schmit, Yeshuah – une vie de jésus après sa crucifixion
Éditions Phi, 2023, Novel, French
What if Jesus had not died on the cross? What if two friends, deceiving the Romans, had saved him? What if, having recovered from his terrible wounds and specialised in luxury carpentry, he had gone to Rome, under his Hebrew name, and experienced the refined life of the cultured Romans: the baths, the games, Stoic philosophy, the cult of Dionysus, friendship, opulence, the many gods and love with Sulpicia? One day, a man from Jerusalem recognised him, and years later Yeshuah learned that he was the son of God risen from the dead. And then…
Jean Sorrente, Blasons d’histoires et Trois contes
Hydre Editions, 2023, Short stories, French
Whether you read them out of order or not, fiction is about the art of combination. They are linked by a secret alchemy that is not just thematic. The stories are the stuff of fiction, insofar as they have been seen, heard and/or experienced. They involve characters, plots and drama. They have symbolic, even allegorical connotations. What makes characters act in the light of their tribulations and intertwined destinies? Desire, the driving force behind all mimicry. Here are a few examples.
Florent Toniello, Honorable Brasius
Hydre Edition, October 2023, Short stories and speculative fiction, French
Sorcerer, celestial tramp, charlatan? In any case, for those who seek his services, blind Brasius is the ‘honourable one’. With his dog Enza, he untangles the web of problems that only the supernatural can solve or explain. It’s a gift that excuses many of his faults… such as his grumpiness and vulgar language. In the uncertain future in which these two evolve, genetic manipulation of cows has led to a very special civilisation on Callisto, and space mining operations could well endanger the entire Earth. Five short stories linked by the strange, which question the future of humanity.
For the second time, Luxembourg is returning to the Leipziger Buchmesse with a national stand, demonstrating its commitment to showcasing its literary creations on the international stage. Seven Luxembourg publishing houses (Capybarabooks, Éditions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Phi, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Edition, Op Der Lay and Point Nemo Publishing) presented their new titles at the event, which attracted more than 88,000 visitors.
Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg aims to showcase Luxembourg literary creation, with a particular focus on German-language literature, although French and Luxembourgish were given a prominent place on the stand’s shelves, which inevitably raised the curiosity of both the general public and the professionals present. The convivial exchanges at the stand illustrate the dynamic atmosphere of the Leipziger Buchmesse, where curiosity and passion for literature converge.
Ulrike Bail, Raoul Biltgen and Guy Helminger were the guests of a reading event held on Saturday 23 March at 9pm at die naTo as part of the official programme of Leipzig Liest. Kultur | lx was delighted to be able to bring Luxembourgish voices to a new audience and to involve German literary critic and journalist Katrin Hillgruber in moderating the event, which provided yet another opportunity to gain an outside perspective on Luxembourg authors.
This spring, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg is supporting a national stand at the Brussels Book fair for the second time to showcase Luxembourg’s publishing sector and French-language publications in particular.
From 4 to 7 April 2024, Kultur | lx will host a national stand showcasing a delegation of five publishing houses—Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Hydre Edition, Kiwi E.LG et Passa Parola Editions—and their authors. They will present their latest releases to publishing professionals and the French-speaking general public.
This fair is not only an excellent way to present authors from Luxembourg and boost distribution of their works by organising readings and talks, but also an excellent platform for other meetings and discussions.
This year, Kultur | lx will once again organise a reading as part of the official Brussels Book Fair programme.
Friday 5 April, 3 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. | Reading and discussion ‘The architecture of unstable times’
Scène Savoirs, Brussels Book Fair
Authors: Jean Portante (Une dernière fois, la Méditerranée – Éditions Phi) & Antoine Pohu (Nous sommes celleux qui marchent dans la ville, Capybarabooks)
Moderator: Rachele Gusella (Literary researcher, Research Foundation Flanders – FWO)
Two authors from Luxembourg will reflect on the current state of global affairs through a monologue that cries out in shock and anger at the state of the world, and a polyphonic novel that weaves a narrative arc running from Virgil to the European migration crisis.
In addition, through its support for career development for artists and creatives in Luxembourg, Kultur | lx will also send Ian De Toffolli (Hydre Éditions) to the ‘Publishing in the French-Speaking World’ workshops organised by the Brussels Book Fair. For the first time, this programme for professionals, developed jointly with several partners, will offer opportunities for discussion, networking, and training for around 15 French-language publishers. The three-day workshop will bring together publishers who have catalogues that include works from several French-language territories and who are interested in launching joint publications.
Event at the Books from Luxembourg stand | Shed1, Stand 150 from 4 to 7 April.
Next events:
‘Poetry from Luxembourg’ Stand | Marché de la Poésie from 19 to 23 June
On the occasion of Luxembourg’s presence at the upcoming Leipzig Book Fair, we present the latest publications of Luxembourgish literature in German as well as the novels of the authors who will be holding a reading at the Leipzig Book Fair (*).
*Ulrike Bail, im halblichten geäst deines atems
Conte Verlag, 2023, Poetry, German
In im halblichten geäst deines atems, Ulrike Bail discovers cultural networks in the moss, symbolic processes between orchids and mushrooms and finds surprising words on her daily walks with her dog. Her poems explore the diverse relationships between culture and nature – delicately and sonorously.
Ulrike Bail, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 13
CNL, 2024, German
Ulrike Bail’s poetry often contains references to the semantic fields of flora and fauna, for example in the collections wundklee streut aus (2011), die empfindlichkeit der libelle (2017) or im halblichten geäst deines atems (2023). In this speech, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, reference is made to a species of mussel native to the Normandy coast and this is set against the rupture of civilisation as a metaphor of life as well as poetry. The result is an intellectually and emotionally engaging, linguistically highly sophisticated text in which nature and culture are not conceived as opposites, but relate to each other.
*Raoul Biltgen, Meine Insel. Eine Robinsonade
Hydre Editions, October 2023, novel, German
On a desert island, a man stands on the beach and tells a joke about a man on the beach on a desert island. But he has nothing to laugh about. The shipwrecked man, who was once called Jean-Marie and now calls himself Robinson, has made a new life for himself: Stockpiled supplies, built a hut – and erected fences. After all, nobody is supposed to take away his painstakingly amassed possessions. Pirates, for example. Or even man-eaters, like Robinson Crusoe. Who knows how long you can stay alone on a desert island?
Das Bau (Eva Herunter, Katharina Hummer, Julia Obleitner) Hrsg., Wild Site
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German/ English
Wild Site is the discovery of the fleeting by-products of a constantly changing city: gaps between buildings, fallow land, intermediate and residual spaces, “wild places”. Five conversations with researchers from the fields of biology, geology, climatology, botany, landscape architecture, urbanism and architecture are accompanied by a photographic work by Zara Pfeifer. Edited by das BAU: Eva Herunter, Katharina Hummer and Julia Obleitner.
Fabienne Faust, Die Häuser von drüben
Éditions Phi, 2023, Short stories, German
They are stranded in the fast breath of the metropolises of refuge. What remains of their homes crumbles in memory. They are storm watchers who have travelled far away to see Scampia, to reconcile with the past or to land a newspaper scoop. They mourn what remains. They want to be remembered like Egypt remembers Alaa al-Aswany, like Janina Rachmaninov remembers her dream of spring.
Samuel Hamen, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 12
CNL, 2023, German
Under the deliberately ambiguous title Verhaltensweisen, Hamen explores real and artistically enriched landscapes, the all too frequent precariousness of (research) work in the humanities, the people and what it means to be a writer among them. The result is a moving poetological reflection on the power and powerlessness of literature, the status of the writer in a society defined by material values and – despite all the adversities and impasses – the empowering and exhilarating effect of writing.
Samuel Hamen, Jeff Schinker, Elise Schmit, Larisa Faber, Theater théâtre theatre Theater 1
Hydre Editions, November 2023, Theatre, German, English, French, Luxembourgish
In the Théâtr/e series, important literary voices from Luxembourg present new theatre plays. The play So dunkel hier by Elise Schmit is about ex-Gauleiter Simon on his way to Luxembourg, where he is to be put on trial. In PatrIdiot by Jeff Schinker, two actors rehearse a play about migration and racism in Luxembourg. De Geescht oder D’Mumm Séis by Samuel Hamen is an adaptation of the play of the same name by Dicks (Edmond de la Fontaine), the founder of Luxembourg theatre. 340x by Larisa Faber is about the life of a man divided into three time periods and reveals questionable transactions and childhood traumas.
*Guy Helminger, Das Geräusch der Stillleben. Stories
capybarabooks, October 2023, Short stories, German
Das Geräusch der Stillleben is an artfully interwoven puzzle. Secondary characters in one story become the main character in another, objects change hands from story to story. At some point, the still life has a 56.75 degree inclination and can no longer be stopped.
Wilhelm Holzbauer, Holzbauer – Schriften zur Architektur
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German
The publication Holzbauer – Schriften zur Architektur honours the literary legacy of one of the greats of Austrian post-war architecture, whose architectural legacy has already filled several books. Holzbauer, who was also a well-educated and well-read man, spent a lifetime writing; he approached it with depth, verve and humour. The editors have made their selection from a large collection: Autobiographical material, essays on his own buildings, essays and texts on architecture in general, accompanied by photographs and sketches.
Raymond Schaack, Im Banne des Unendlichen
Éditions Phi, 2023, Poetry, German
This book is the author’s twentieth published work, the second volume of Japanese haiku and the third volume of poetry published by Phi after Masques magnétiques (2016) and Mahlstrom Zeit (2019).
Faby Schintgen, Blaustufen
Op der Lay, 2023, novel, German
Provocative and humorous, Faby Schintgen (*1982, Luxembourg) paints a vivid picture of love, family and self-realisation in her debut novel. Her defiant protagonist fights for new freedom and encourages change. She hoped for the fulfilment of her life’s desires, but the idealised image of maternal self-sacrifice cannot do justice to Mel’s need for self-realisation. Suddenly everything turns upside down and she has to throw off her supermom cape for good, along with her black and white world view.
Margret Steckel, Mutterrache. Novelle
capybarabooks, 3rd edition November 2023, novella, German
In the novella “Mutterrache”, Margret Steckel succeeds in using the skilfully interwoven plot threads to address issues of guilt and neglect within a family without taking sides. Although there is probably no one in this story who can ultimately absolve themselves of guilt, the author allows the reader to reconstruct the course of the tragedy using the flashbacks and to form their own judgement – without condemning, because Margret Steckel loves her characters too much for that. Even when they are difficult.
Anna Valentiny, Hortus Alienum – Scenographies of Nobody’s Voyage
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German/English
Author Anna Valentiny’s first book Hortus Alienum – Scenographies of Nobody’s Voyage is a narrative about being human. The protagonist of the story, Nobody, cannot escape her narrative in any act and has to wander through the artificial park landscape of Hortus Alienum, scene by scene. She is accompanied by the chorus.
Nora Wagener, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 11
CNL, 2023, German
The title suggests inconsistency, aimlessness, non-committal blubbering… A perfectly successful deceptive manoeuvre, because with this slim volume Nora Wagener presents a substantial poetological reflection on the constitution of the writer, on the possibilities (and limits) of literature and the ability of literary writing to create self-determined realities.
In the field of literature and publishing, Kultur | lx advises and supports foreign publishers and professionals from the publishing sector who wish to contribute to the development and dissemination of Luxembourg authors and literary creation.
Two types of support in particular, the Publishing support and the Translation support, are aimed at foreign publishers:
The Publishing support for Luxembourg authors with foreign publishers (commercial companies or non-profit organisations) aims to make works created in Luxembourg known internationally and is intended to contribute to the international dissemination of Luxembourgish literary creation.
The Translation support is intended to contribute to the development and dissemination of Luxembourg’s literary heritage by supporting foreign publishers and theatre structures (performance venues, producers) in the translation of Luxembourgish literature.
The following text genres are eligible for funding: Anthology; comic and graphic novels; biography; drama; literary essay; children’s and youth literature; poetry; prose
The next deadlines for submitting projects are: 27 June and 5 December 2024.
All applications will be reviewed by the Literature and Publishing Selection Committee.
Recent translations and literary publications supported by Kultur | lx
By promoting translations and publications by Luxembourgish authors with foreign publishers, Kultur | lx gives readers in other countries access to Luxembourgish literature.
Discover the most recently translated and supported works from the Grand Duchy:
Bulgaria
Nathalie Ronvaux, Le Chesterfield du Cinquième (Éditions Guy Binsfeld, 2021)
Published by Aviana Publishing House (2023)
Translated by Krasimira Kirova
Brazil
Jean Portante, Depois do Tremor, Editacuja Editora, 2023
Germany
Bernd Marcel Gonner, Re-belln, KILLROY media Verlag, 2024
France
Robert Weis, Retour à Kyoto, Transboréal, 2023
Emile Hemmen, A l’écoute du sablier, Editions Folle Avoine, 2023
Jean Portante, Œuvres Poétiques Tome 2, La rumeur libre éditions, 2024
Hélène Tyrtoff, Retours de lignes, APIC, Spring 2024
Italy
Jean Portante, Concezioni, Edizione Kolibris, 2023
Paul Mathieu, Le Temps d’un souffle, bilingual edition, Edizione Kolibris, 2024
Jean Portante, L’étrange langue (Éditions Le Taillis Pré, 2002)
Published by Edizione Kolibris (2023)
Translated by Chiara De Luca
Mexico
Jean Portante, Diario de un olvidador intimo, Mantis Editores, 2023
Jean Portante, Mrs Haroy o la memoria de la ballena, Granises, 2023
Portugal
Jean Portante, Depois do Tremor, Editora Exclamação, 2023
Turkey
Tullio Forgiarini, Céruse (Hydre Éditions, 2020)
Published by New Human Publisher (November 2024)
Translated by Deniz Gunce Demirhisar
From 21 to 24 March, for the second consecutive year, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will present Luxembourg’s diverse range of publishers and literature at a national stand at the Leipzig Book Fair.
Seven Luxembourg publishers—Capybarabooks, Éditions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Phi, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Editions, Op Der Lay and Point Nemo Publishing—will come together at the second largest fair in Germany to present their latest releases.
Leipzig Book Fair is not only a crucial event for boosting distribution of authors from Luxembourg, including readings and other opportunities to present authors, but also an excellent platform for meeting publishing professionals as well as the general public.
A reading organised as part of the Leipzig liest Festival (Leipzig reads) will be an opportunity for three authors from Luxembourg to enter into conversation in a location selected by the Festival.
Saturday 23 March at 9 p.m. | Reading and debate ‘Myself and the others’
With Ulrike Bail (im halblichten geäst deines atems, Conte Verlag, 2023)
Raoul Biltgen (Meine Insel. Eine Robinsonade, Hydre Editions, 2023)
Guy Helminger (Das Geräusch der Stillleben, Capybarabooks, 2023)
Moderated by Katrin Hillgruber (journalist and literary critic, Germany)
Location: die NaTo – Leipzig
Balancing between introspection and reflection on their relationship with others and the world, three renowned Luxembourg authors will draw us into their stories and poetry, exploring a desert island, introducing a family, and encounters with individuals who seem helpless when faced with objects and their environments. They will also explore different types of relationship, highlighting the links between culture and nature.
Events at the Books from Luxembourg stand | Halle 4, Booth C303 from 21 to 24 March.
Upcoming events
Booth « Livres du Luxembourg » | Foire du livre de Bruxelles from 4 to 7 April
Booth « Poésie du Luxembourg » | Marché de la Poésie from 19 to 23 June
From 25 November until 3 December the European Union was guest of honour at the 37th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the largest book fair in the Americas and second-largest book fair in the world. 2200 publishing houses representing 49 countries were present at this year’s edition.
With a 1300 m2 pavilion, designed by a Barcelona-based architecture studio and under the slogan « Building a Union of Cultures », the EU presented the European cultural diversity and contemporary creative dynamics with a rich programme for the public and professionals from the book sector generating new spaces for collaboration and dialogue.
For the EU’s literary programme more than 70 writers from the EU’s 27 countries and from Ukraine participated. The authors Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante represented the delegation from Luxembourg. Both authors participated in several readings and roundtables on various topics in exchange with other European authors like Pascal Quignard, Elena Alexieva or Colm Tóibín. Jean Portante, well known in Latin America for his translations into French of Latin American poets and also himself being translated and published in Spanish, notably in Mexico, also presented at the Guadalajara International Book Fair the bilingual edition Diario De Un Olvadaor Íntimo Y Otros Poemas, published by the Mexican publishing house Mantis Editores, and Mrs Haroy y la memoria de la ballena, published by the Mexican publishing house La Otra and the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. Both publications received a publishing support by Kultur | lx. Outside of the Guadalajara Book Fair, Luxembourg literature was also present at the Fiesta Literaria 2023 at the Patán Ale House in Guadalajara. Together with the Colombian poet Felipe García Quintero Jean Portante read from and talked about Diario De Un Olvidador Íntimo Y Otros Poemas.
The Luxembourg music sector also participated in the EU’s artistic programme. The opening concert on 25 November was given by the European Union Youth Orchestra, with the participation of the young Luxembourg trumpeter Philippe Neumann and accompanied by 40 young Mexican musicians. In the „Añoranza“ concert on 29 November pianist Francesco Tristano played together with the French-Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé.
For the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Luvina, the literary magazine of the University of Guadalajara, published a new book about the literatures of the European Union which also highlights some poems by Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante in Spanish translation. The Guadalajara International Book Fair created a dialogue and exchange plateform between European writers, artists, professionals from the book sector and Latin Amercian authors, artists as well as professionals from the book sector.
Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg, in partnership with Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn – Les Amis du Livre a.s.b.l., and in collaboration with the National Centre for Literature, launched a call for a two-month writer’s residency at the Literarisches Colloquium (LCB) in Berlin, including a supporting grant. A space for reflection, a workshop for experimentation, and an incubator for talent, this prestigious international literary institution organises readings, seminars and other literary events.
Jury members Christiane Krier (Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn), Frank Hansen (Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn), Tim Reuter (National Centre for Literature), Sébastian Thiltges (independent literary expert) and Jeff Schinker (author & Luxembourg laureate 2023) assessed the applications received and forwarded their recommendations to the LCB. At the end of the selection process, Florent Toniello‘s application was selected.
Statement of the Jury
Florent Toniello has been an active and prolific figure on Luxembourg’s cultural and literary scene since 2015. With a long list of publications to his name, including works of literary criticism, Toniello’s curiosity and eagerness to experiment is also clearly reflected in his wide range of literary works which include the poetry bundle Hraun and his short story Brasius which impressed the jury for both its literary and linguistic standard.
The Jury unanimously agreed that this residency would offer Florent Toniello, who is a major turning point in his literary career, a suitable setting to focus on his literary work. The jury also noted that for Florent Toniello, already well-established on the French-language poetry scene with various publications in magazines and contacts with publishers at the Marché de la Poésie, a residency at the LCB would offer him the chance to develop new contacts in the German-speaking world and beyond, thus also introducing an international audience to literature from Luxembourg, and as a result benefit the literature from Luxembourg more generally.
The jury believes this residency will be a fruitful contribution to the development and promotion of authors from Luxembourg.
Biography
Florent Toniello, born in 1972 in Lyon, was an IT manager for a transnational company in Belgium and France until 2012 when he moved to Luxembourg to work as a proof-reader and journalist. An avid reader of poetry and fantasy, Toniello writes reviews for magazines and on his blog accrocstich.es. His poetry has been published in bundles in Luxembourg, France and Belgium. And as this book shows, he also tries his hand at writing texts where science fiction and the uncanny meet.
Poetry:
- Flo[ts], Phi, 2015, 1. Preis beim Concours littéraire national
- Ptérodactyle en cage, Phi, 2017
- Lorsque je serai chevalier, Jacques Flament, 2017
- L’Oreille arrachée, maelstrÖm, 2017
- Apotropaïque, Phi, 2018
- Foutu Poète improductif, Rafael de Surtis, 2018
- Vidée vers la mer pleine, Phi, 2021
- Mélusine au gasoil, Facteur Galop, 2022
Prose :
- Ganaha. Un conte futur dans une langue passée, novel, Jacques Flament, 2020
- Honorable Brasius, short stories, Hydre éditions, 2023
Play:
- La Petite Fabrique des notes, 2018 at Théâtre ouvert Luxembourg
Essai/Interview :
- Pierre Joris, with Florent Toniello, Always the Many, Never the One, Contra Mundum Press, 2022
The LCB residency is made possible due to an endowment from the Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn – Les Amis du Livre a.s.b.l. who support the book sector by donating part of the proceeds from sales of second-hand books by Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn volunteers to promote the production of literary works in Luxembourg.
This year the Frankfurt Book Fair celebrated its 75th edition. Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised again the national presence bringing together ten Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Edition Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions and Point Nemo Publishing) which presented their newest publications for the autumn season as well as their publishing programm. The Books From Luxembourg stand, designed by Studio Polenta and featuring work by illustrator Keong-A Song, also showcased the authors and their books awarded with a literary prize and recent translated Luxembourg writer.
Kultur | lx also organised two networking moments, one on 18th and one on 19th October, inviting international professionals to discover the Luxembourg scene and to exchange with Luxembourg publishers and authors, as well as planning new projects and collaborations. Kultur | lx has also produced in cooperation with the National Centre for Literature a Foreign Rights Catalogue presenting several awarded Luxembourg authors, some new releases “hot off the press”, as well as information about translation and publishing support for foreign publishers and professionals from the book sector who wish to contribute to the development and dissemination of Luxembourg’s authors and literary creation.
On Friday 20th October, the Luxembourg author Jeff Schinker, who was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature 2023, participated in a panel, organised by Pro Helvetia, entitled “Accent: Slightly shifted similarities – Writing in small languages” featuring Swiss author Gianna Olinda Cadonau, who writes in Romansh and German, Slovenian author Cvetka Lipuš and moderated by Steven Wyss from the Translation House Looren. The discussion between the authors highlighted the specific context of a multilingual literary scene and what this means for the book market and cultural policy.
The Frankfurt Book Fair remains the most important meeting of the year for the international book sector. With a total of 215.000 visitors, 105,000 of them trade visitors from 130 different countires (in 2022: 93.000) and 110.000 private visitors (in 2022: 87.000), the Book Fair recorded a significant increase in visitors number.