From 18 – 22 October, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invites you to explore Luxembourg’s creative literary scene at the Books from Luxembourg national stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany.

After welcoming 93,000 professionals in 2022, this 75th fair is set to be a festive event with a wide and varied programme for both professionals and the general public. The Books from Luxembourg stand (Hall 3.1/Stand F134) will showcase 10 publishers: Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Edition, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions, Point Nemo Publishing.

Designed by Studio Polenta and featuring work by illustrator Keong-A Song, the Books from Luxembourg stand will be a meeting place where Luxembourg’s publishers can make new contacts, talk to publishing professionals from across the world, present their lists and authors, and plan new projects. Two networking events will take place: Wednesday 18 October (5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.) and Thursday 19 October (5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.), dates that every Luxembourg publishers and editors will have in their diaries.

In addition to new releases by Luxembourg publishers, the stand will also showcase literary prizes and Luxembourg writers recently published in translation. Since the start of 2022, Kultur | lx has supported the translation by foreign publishers of 22 novels from Luxembourg. These recent translations mean that Luxembourg’s literature can now be discovered by readers in countries like Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia. In cooperation with the National Centre for Literature, Kultur | lx has produced a brochure introducing several authors from Luxembourg along with information about new releases.

Shining a spotlight on the specific context of a multilingual literary scene, Pro Helvetia will hold a round table at its stand (Hall 3.1, Booth F122) on Friday 20 October from 1 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. entitled “Accent: Slightly shifted similarities – Writing in small languages”. The panel will feature Swiss author Gianna Olinda Cadonau who writes in Romansh and German, a Slovenian author, and Luxembourger Jeff Schinker, author of Sabotage, a project written in four languages which was shortlisted for the Servais Prize, the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis, and the European Union Prize for Literature.

More information HERE.

Relive the 2022 edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair in our aftermovie below:

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Discover the new literary releases with a wide range of genres in Luxembourgish, German, French and English!

 

Marie-Pierre Antoine, Coquilles de Noisettes
Éditions Phi, 2023, Poetry, French

In Coquilles de Noisettes Marie-Pierre Antoine undertakes the exploration of desire. She gives readers the space they need to imagine, while subtly guiding the images throughout her poems. As the literary critic Florent Toniello puts it, the Coquilles de Noisettes are « a kind of UFO in Luxembourg’s French-language literary output. They may be divisive, but they have a solid raison d’être. » (woxx)

 

Tessy Antony-de Nassau, Theodore & Grace discover Luxembourg
Editions Schortgen, 2023, Children’s and youth books, English, German, French

In four interactive books for young children from 0 to 3 years, the author Tessy Antony-de Nassau takes the reader via Theodore and Grace on a discovery journey of Luxembourg. What plants and trees grow there? What animals can be found in the forests? What does the city of Luxembourg look like? The books deal with the Luxembourgish kitchen, the animals of Luxembourg, the city of Luxembourg and the nature in Luxembourg.

Jean Back, Nuebelschnéier
Kremart Edition, 2023, Tales & short stories, Luxembourgish

Nuebelschnéier is a collection of loosely connected tales and short stories by Jean Back, who received the European Union Prize for Literature in 2010. Stories like the son in the psychiatry who misses his mother, although he was abused by her; grandmother Marie who used to play the viola and lives now in a retirement home, and only her memories of her child comfort her; the mother who dies in old age and suddenly convictions and certainties are thrown off track.

 

Raoul Biltgen, Meine Insel. Eine Robinsonade
Hydre Editions, October 2023, Fiction, 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. Yet he has nothing to laugh about. The castaway, who was once called Jean-Marie and now calls himself Robinson, has created a new life for himself: He has stockpiled supplies, built a hut – and erected fences. For no one is to take away the property, he has so painstakingly amassed. Pirates, for example. Or even man-eaters, as in Robinson Crusoe. Who knows how long you can stay alone on a desert island?

Tullio Forgiarini / Claude Grosch, Bonnie
Kremart Edition, 2023, children’s book, Luxembourgish-French, Luxembourgish-English

Bonnie cannot sleep at night. She is bored and no one else is awake, right? So, Bonnie goes in search of the monsters of the night to…play with them! The book tries to take away the fear of darkness with sensitivity, imagination and a little humour. The children’s book is available in two versions, always bilingual: Luxembourgish-English and Luxembourgish French.

 

Luc François, Wasserstand
Kremart Edition, 2023, Fiction, German

With a novel in noir style, the writer Klaus Klopp wants to hit the big time after his first two works were just laughed at as mediocre. The new story is supposed to be exciting and dark, of literary value, but at the same time authentic and human. Perhaps also a little artful. A glass of water, of all things, gives the man in his mid-forties an idea of how to breathe real life into his characters.

John-Paul Gomez, The Idiot of St. Benedict and Other Stories
Black Fountain Press, September 2023, Fiction, English
1st prize Concours littéraire national 2022 in the category “adult authors”

An impossible medieval church, a dreaded hospital appointment, figures re-emerging from a past that is buried but not gone. In narratives somewhere between *Black Mirror* and Ray Bradbury, John-Paul Gomez’s characters find themselves at the uneasy junction of reality and otherworldly forces beyond their control. Dystopian *what if* scenarios are juxtaposed with everyday grievances and relationships that have lost their lustre. Things are getting away from us, our collective attention span is waning more and more, and something is going very, very wrong…

Samuel Hamen / Melitta Schubert, Österreich und Luxemburg im Dialog
Éditions Guy Binsfeld, July 2023, Non-fiction, German

The Luxembourgish writer Samuel Hamen and H.E. Melitta Schubert, Austrian ambassador in Luxembourg, present Austria and Luxembourg in dialogue across the ages and borders. The common history spans from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, when the Duchy of Luxembourg was part of the Habsburg Empire, through the 19th century to the 20th century, when the European continent sank into barbarism. In an exchange with personalities from academia, politics and culture, this volume sheds light on the relations between Luxembourg and Austria.

Guy Helminger, Das Geräusch der Stillleben
Capybarabooks, October 2023, Short stories, German

In Das Geräusch der Stillleben Guy Helminger tells a series of stories about people on the margins of society, with humour and a sense of the absurd continuing his exploration of the notion of reality, planting characters who despair of finding meaning in a world that, while not necessarily devoid of it, refuses to surrender itself to man.

 

Gilles Kolbet, Rout, Giel oder Blo?
Ernster Editions, 2023, Children’s book, Luxembourgish

Albert, the artist, has not been satisfied with his colours for a long time. Again, and again he asks himself the question: RED, YELLOW or BLUE, which colour should I use now? One day, however, he realises what really makes him happy, and that there are so many other colours to discover in life.

 

Chris Lauer, Gut verräumte Sternschnuppen
Nimbus Verlag, October 2023, Poetry, German

In Chris Lauer’s lyrical debut, love and trauma are as closely linked as past and present. With hypnotic language and fascinating vocabulary, the big themes shine through the poems. Painful as a barb the poems are interwoven with the family history, the experiences of the World War II on the side of the persecuted.

Sandra Martins, D’Sasha an de Flint – Eng magesch Melodie
Editions Schortgen, 2023, Children’s books, Luxembourgish, English, French

Sasha is reading a book in her tree house when she suddenly hears a wonderful song. All curious, she packs her bag and sets out to find this unknown singer. When she arrives in the forest, Sasha discovers several surprises.

Roland Meyer, Monster Malya
Op der Lay, 2023, Fiction / Children’s and youth books, Luxembourgish

The new children’s book for adults by Roland Meyer tells the story of Malya who is 12 years old but has already developed into a “monster”. Her close environment sees it that way. She disturbs the system with her anger, maladjustment, stubbornness, outbreaks of violence. In school she does not have a friend and from her family, nobody wants to spend time with her.

Simone Mousset, CHOREOGRAPHICAL TALKS 02
CNL, 2023, Discourse, English

How do you talk about dance? Is there a relationship between movement and text? With the Choreographical Talks series, launched in 2022, the CNL is trying to answer these questions by asking Luxembourg-based choreographers to reflect on their art.

 

Charlotte Reuter, D’Rommel Bommel an hir Frënn
Ernster Editions, May 2023, Children’s book, Luxembourgish

In this interactive children’s book, the focus is put on vegetables and the experiences with the five senses. The four stories about local vegetable varieties examine every step from the growing until the use of the vegetables. In every story there is also an easy and delicious recipe to recreate at home.

Guy Rewenig, La coupe est pleine
Editions Guy Binsfeld, November 2023, Fiction, French

Out of pure magnanimity, the Lamalle couple has invited a couple of refugees for New Year’s Eve. But throughout the 31st of December, tensions rise … La coupe est pleine is a mordant caricature of deceptive well-being in times of war and widespread violence. With beneficial disrespect, the author Guy Rewenig vigorously parodies the whims of do-gooders, opportunists and profiteers disguised as do-gooders.

Nathalie Ronvaux, DISCOURS SUR LE THÉÂTRE 05
CNL, 2023, Discourse, French

The series Discours sur le théâtre / Rede vom Theater / Theatrical Talks from the Centre national de littérature invites authors to reflect on writing and the theatre. Volume 05 of the series welcomes Nathalie Ronvaux. In her Discours, entitled Pour arriver au seuil du geste (to arrive at the threshold of gesture), she examines her practice of playwriting, understood as an act that is both solitary and collective, stretched between reflection and embodiment.

 

Margret Steckel, Mutterrache. Novelle
Capybarabooks, 2023, Short story, German
Prix Batty Weber 2023

In her short story Mutterrache, Margret Steckel manages to tackle the question of guilt and the failings of a family without taking sides, thanks to the skilful interweaving of the plot threads. Although there is no one in this story who can finally free himself from guilt, the author allows the reader to reconstruct the unfolding of the tragedy with the help of flashbacks and to make his own judgement – without condemning, because Margret Steckel loves her characters too much for that. Even if they are difficult.

Florent Toniello, Honorable Brasius
Hydre Edition, October 2023, Short stories & speculative fiction, French

Sorcerer, celestial tramp, usurper? In any case, for those who call on 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.

Marc Weydert, Marie-Isabelle Callier, Zerknujelt Geschichten
Perspektiv Editions, April 2023, Children’s book, Luxembourgish

With Zerknujelt Geschichten Marc Weydert and Marie-Isabelle Callier, laureate of the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis 2021, take the reader as they did already in Verdruddelt Geschichten, into the world of fairy tales, fables and other legends, in verse and with a healthy dose of humour, as well as some forgotten Luxembourgish expressions.

Jemp Schuster, Béischten
Kremart Edition, October 2023, Novel, Luxembourgish

Kromburg or Kromber is a village in the Ösling that is not particularly different from other villages. When the Germans occupied the village and the country in 1940, no one trusted anyone else. Felix Drenger is forcibly recruited in 1942. His young wife Anni is expecting his child. Milli never gets to know her father. Felix remains missing. After the war, when the village is being rebuilt, Leo, a 13-year-old boy, disappears and does not reappear either. Some villagers, however, seem to know more than they say.

Discover the 2023 literary prizes awarded to Luxembourgish writers nationally and internationally.

Margret Steckel, born in Mecklenburg and living in Luxembourg since 1983, has been awarded the Batty Weber Prize. The jury characterised Margret Steckel’s oeuvre by a “linguistic and thematic density that combines historical context and precise character drawing to produce texts of great nuance”. The Batty Weber Prize is Luxembourg’s national literary prize and has been awarded since 1987. The prize is awarded every 3 years by the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture in honour of the Luxembourg writer Batty Weber and is intended to reward a Luxembourg writer for literary quality, originality and the cultural impact of the body of work.

This year’s Servais Prize was awarded to Jérôme Quiqueret, originally from Nancy and who has lived in Luxembourg since 2003, for his book Tout devait disparaître. The jury argued that Quiqueret’s work based on impressive research, shakes the boundaries of textual genres. “The topicality of this book lies in the metascriptural questioning to which the author invites us: How can we read, interpret and tell the story of the written traces of the past?” In order to promote contemporary literary production from Luxembourg, the Servais Foundation has awarded the “SERVAIS PRIZE” since 1992. This prize is awarded to the most significant literary work published in the past year.

The Luxembourger author Jeff Schinker was nominated for European Union Prize for Literature 2023 for his novel Ma vie sous les tentes. The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond. Engaging the 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the Prize celebrates 41 outstanding new literary talents across a cycle of three years. The nominating organisation for Luxembourg composed by Florent Toniello (A:LL Schrëftsteller*innen), Nathalie Jacoby (Centre national de littérature), Jeanne Glesener (University of Luxembourg) Béatrice Kneip (journalist) and Anne Diderich (Federation of Luxembourgish Librarians), has selected Ma vie sous les tentes by Jeff Schinker for its unflinchingly honest look at a way of life in which the fear of mediocrity and solitude drives every move and every sentence in search for connections that transcend the seemingly unremarkable and for its insightful exploration of the sociology of festival life.

The Stefan-Andres-Prize of the city of Schweich for Literature in the German language was awarded to the Luxembourgish writer Emil Angel for his mostly bilingual (Luxembourgish/German) literary works in the form of novels, stories, glosses, travelogues, and others but especially for the collection of stories “…ihr Bilder, die lang ich vergessen geglaubt!” Eine Kindheit im Luxemburg der Nachkriegszeit. Erzählungen, in which he describes in episodes the living conditions and everyday events in his birthplace from the point of view of his youthful alter ego. In this way, Emil Angel does something for the collective memory similar to what Stefan Andres did in his memoir novel Der Knabe im Brunnen. The Stefan-Andres-Prize, awarded every 3 years by the Stefan-Andres-Gesellschaft, promotes literature in the German language – regardless of nation, state or country – as a contribution to European culture and the political unification of Europe, and at the same time to preserve the legacy of the poet Stefan Andres.

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From 25 November to 3 December, the European Union will be guest of honour at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the biggest literary event in the Spanish-speaking world. Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante make up the Luxembourg delegation.

This will be a first for the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) in Guadalajara, which in its 36 previous editions has welcomed countries, cities or regions, but never a community beyond the confines of a nation-state.

The fair, which is aimed at both professionals and the general public, is also a cultural festival in which literature plays a major role, with a rich programme featuring authors from every continent and language, highlighting European cultural diversity and contemporary creative dynamics.

As guest of honour, the EU will have a prominent presence with a 1300 m² pavilion located in a central and visible position within the FIL premises. It is currently being designed by a Barcelona-based architecture studio with a multinational team of European and Latin American architects. The pavilion will reflect the principles of openness, inclusion, hospitality, sustainability, diversity and unity.

Luxembourg will be represented through the voices of authors Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante, the latter being well known in Latin America not only for having lived there for a long time, but also for his translations into French of Latin American poets, himself being translated and published in Spanish, notably in Mexico.

Programme :
Wednesday 29 November from 6.00 pm to 7.20 pm
“Books and letters to provoke dialogue” with Pascal Quignard, Jurga Vilė , Nikos Bakounakis, Jean Portante
Moderation: Sylvia Georgina Estrada
Venue: Salón 1, ground floor, Expo Guadalajara

Thursday 30 November, 6.00 pm to 7.20 pm
“Stories of Exclusion. fight with words” with Elena Alexieva , Stejarel Olaru , Nathalie Ronvaux , Colm Tóibín
Venue: Salón 1, ground floor, Expo Guadalajara

For the 40th edition of the Marché de la Poésie, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg showcased the richness of Luxembourg poetry. The “Poésies du Luxembourg” stand, shared with Redfoxpress, provided a meeting point for poets, publishers, professionals and enthusiastic audiences from all backgrounds, who were able to discover the poetic voices of Luxembourg, including Jean Portante, Lambert Schlechter, Nico Helminger, Hélène Tyrtoff, Serge Basso de March, Florent Toniello and Paul Mathieu.

In conjunction with the Marché de la Poésie, Kultur | lx organised a professional meeting in the form of a poetry breakfast before the opening of the Marché, to stimulate exchanges and develop future cooperation between poets, publishing houses, literary magazines and programmers, and to showcase the Luxembourg poetry scene and the latest publications by its prolific authors.

On Sunday 11 June, H.R.H. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the Marché de la Poésie, with a particular interest in the Luxembourg programme. The Grand Duchess was able to attend various meetings and readings with Luxembourg poets, including : Jean Portante’s presentation of the anthology of Cuban poetry Tout battement est secret / Poésie de Cuba 1959-2022 (Éditions Caractères), that was edited and translated by himself, accompanied by editor Nicole Gladia and Cuban poet Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, as well as a reading between Florent Toniello and Paul Mathieu on the subject of his new poetry collection À bord (suivi de) On dirait Lisbonne (Éditions Phi). To close the Marché de la Poésie, Jean Portante and Gérard Pfister (Editions Arfuyen), as publishers and close friends, paid a vibrant tribute to Anise Koltz, one of the leading lights of Luxembourg poetry, whose name one of the aisles of the Marché de la Poésie now bears.

The Marché de la Poésie is the largest gathering of authors and publishers of poetry in France, and remains a key event for promoting and circulating Luxembourg authors and their works beyond the country’s borders.

After having been guest of honour at the 39th Marché de la Poésie, Luxembourg returns to the 40th Marché de la Poésie, the largest poetry event in France. Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will honour the richness and diversity of Luxembourg poetry from 7 to 11 June at the Place Saint Sulpice in Paris on booth 515, a meeting place for poets, publishers, professionals and the public.

The stand, shared with Redfoxpress, will showcase the diversity of Luxembourg poetry and will be a meeting place for poets, publishers, professionals and enthusiastic audiences from all walks of life during the five days of the Market.

Luxembourg poetry will be honoured on the stage of the marquee on Sunday 11 June:
3.15 pm / Paroles d’éditeur#4
on the occasion of the publication of Tout battement est secret /
Poésie de Cuba 1959-2022 (Éditions Caractères) Jean Portante

4:30 pm / Poetry from elsewhere#5 / Luxembourg
Paul Mathieu
Moderation: Florent Toniello
organised with Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg

6.15 pm / Tribute to Anise Koltz
by Jean Portante and his publisher friends

The Kulturfabrik will host one of the Périphéries du Marché on 19 June: Literary encounter with Ulrike Bail, Florent Toniello, Laure Limongi and Guillaume Artous-Bouvet
Musical accompaniment: Triana y Luca

Discover the complete programme on the Marché de la Poésie’s website.

Relive the 2022 edition of the Marché de la Poésie in our aftermovie below:

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Discover the latest publications by Luxembourg poets, in particular our very prolific authors Jean Portante and Lambert Schlechter, with a particularly dense news stream, showing the loyalty of publishing houses, particularly French ones, to these two authors.

Paul Mathieu, À bord [suivi de] On dirait Lisbonne
Éditions Phi, 2021, poetry, french

This two-part collection by Paul Mathieu takes the reader on a journey to Africa on a liner, using, among other things, photographs and postcards of the Belgian Congo in the 1920s. In the second part, the author plays with the word ” personne “, referring to the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. À bord was nominated for the Prix Servais 2022.

Jean Portante, Le pain n’est pas encore pétri
Éditions caractères, 2023, poetry, french

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of Jean Portante’s first book Feu et Boue in 1983, the publisher Caractères presents a personal anthology by Jean Portante. This new book of poems also features drawings by the Luxembourg painter Robert Brandy.

Jean Portante, Tout battement est secret / Poésie de Cuba 1959-2022,
Éditions caractères, 2023, poetry, french
Selection and translation Jean Portante / Preface Víctor Rodríguez Núñez
With poetry from: Fina García-Marruz, Antón Arrufat, Manuel Díaz Martínez, José Kozer, Nancy Morejón (Honorary President of the Marché de la Poésie), Lina de Feria, Luis Lorente, Soleida Ríos, Reina María Rodríguez, Alex Fleites, Marilyn Bobes, Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, Alfredo Zaldívar, Ramón Fernández-Larrea, Roberto Méndez Martínez, Rodolfo Häsler, Carlos Augusto Alfonso, Laura Ruiz Montes, Damaris Calderón, Luis Yuseff, Leymen Pérez García, Óscar Cruz, Sergio García Zamora

Tout battement est secret offers a rich panorama of Cuba’s poetic voices.

* Lambert Schlechter, Perles de Pacotilles sur le chapelet du Silence, Préface de Jean Portante
APIC éditions, 2023, poetry, french

The collection “Poème du monde”, curated by the poet and anthropologist Habib Tengour, presents collections of original poems from all over the world in their original language and translated into French. In this new collection with a preface by Jean Portante, Lambert Schlechter, poet, writer and philosopher from Luxembourg, presents several unpublished works entitled Neuvains VIIè série.

* Lambert Schlechter, Fragments du Journal intime de Dieu
Editions L’herbe qui tremble, 2023, fragments, french

God here takes himself for God, with a primitive legitimacy, but also a lucidity and a distance that will no doubt surprise. From the lofty zone of his eternity he has taken the time and the distance to examine, if not reconsider, some emblematic aspects of his relationship with the descendants of Adam and Eve. After having painted the portrait of 16 ordinary people (Wendelin et les autres, published by L’herbe qui tremble), Lambert Schlechter became a scribe under the dictation of God.


* Ouvrage collectif, Haute Tension, avec des poèmes de Hélène Tyrtoff
Le castor astral, 2022, poetry, french

This anthology brings together French-speaking poets from all continents. The book features the powerful and original voices of women and men of different generations, from various countries and cultures. Composed mainly of unpublished poems, this anthology enables readers to discover or rediscover some forty important poets.

After a long hiatus, the Leipzig Book Fair took place again from the 27th until 30th April. This year, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised the national presence bringing together six Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions and Point Nemo Publishing, which presented their newest publications. The Book Fair is the second largest one in Germany and the first large trade meeting of the year.

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The award ceremony for the European Union Prize For Literature took also place on 28th April at the Leipzig Book Fair. The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond. Luxembourg author Jeff Schinker was one of the nominees for “Ma vie sous les tentes“. This year’s prize was awarded to the Croatian writer Martina Vidaić.

In the context of Leipzig Liest, the largest European Reading Festival, two events with Luxembourgish authors took place. On 29th April, Maxime Weber, Claire Schmartz, Samuel Hamen and Nico Helminger (aka Tomas Bjørnstad) read from their latest publication at the naTo in Leipzig, and discussed with Thomas Hummitzsch, who moderated the event, about the topic “What if…? Between fiction and speculation”. The audience got to discover speculative and dystopic Fiction from Luxembourg. On Sunday, 30th April, Editions Guy Binsfeld co-organised with Kultur | lx a “Liesmatinée Crémant-Mélange: österreich trifft Luxemburg – Stadtgeflüster” with the Luxembourg author Nico Helminger (aka Tomas Bjørnstad) and the Austrian author Ferdinand Schmalz at the Leipzig Book Fair.

With 274.000 visitors, the Leipzig Book Fair provides an important platform to promote and boost the profile of Luxembourgish literature, the authors and publishing houses. Readings at Leipzig Liest allow the authors to present their work and for the audience to discover the diverse Luxembourgish literary creation. Furhtermore, the presence at the book fair allow Luxembourgish authors and editors also to meet and connect with other writers, publishers, and literary agents for new collaborations, as well as new opportunities for new projects

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 reading at the Leipzig Book Fair(*).

* Tomas Bjørnstad, Von der schönen Erde, nominated for the Servais prize 2023
Éditions Guy Binsfeld, 2022, Fiction, German

In Von der schönen Erde (Éditions Guy Binsfeld, 2022), which is already the third work in an entire series of books, the Norwegian-Luxembourgian author Tomas Bjørnstad (heteronym of the well-known Luxembourgian author Nico Helminger) revives the literary avant-garde in the style of Jorge Luis Borges or Julio Cortázar. The backdrop is a town that threatens to develop into a smart city with rapid strides, leaving the people who live in it disoriented. The author creates a game in which worlds and identities merge.

* Samuel Hamen, Wie die Fliegen
Diaphanes, 14. April 2023, Fiction, German

Sent by the Academy, a security agency whose agents pursue saboteurs or root out resistance cells in the districts, a detective travels to a remote town to find the missing teenager Saul. Here, an unbearable hot wind blows daily, and the more the inhabitants, an isolated institute and the scenic surroundings come into view, the more the impression intensifies that everything is fine here – and at the same time nothing is above board. The “decimation”, in which almost all the animals disappeared in one day, and the proceedings at the institute remain unfathomable for the time being. The idyll here seems only a play of desolation, reality only a plaything of power. Soon, Samuel Hamen’s debut novel is no longer just about local unrest or a youth struggling to find a good future, but about much more, about digital ways of life, about ecological grief, ultimately about how we can live in a world that is irretrievably lost to us.

Nathalie Jacoby & Ludivine Jehin (Hg.), Imaginer Servais – Preisgekrönte Literatur erleben
CNL, April 2023, Exhibtion catalogue, German & French

After the successful exhibition Imaginer Servais, the CNL in collaboration with photographer Véronique Kolber (Luxembourg) and sound designers Martin Engler (Berlin), Paul Ford (London) and Luka Tonar (Luxembourg) invite you to (re)visit the exhibition on paper!

Ludivine Jehin & Daniela Lieb (Hg.), Fundstücke – Trouvailles 5
CNL, 2022, Anthology, German & French

After a two-year hiatus, Fundstücke presents itself in a new guise and format, but remains true to the CNL’s dual vocation as an archive and a research institution: enjoy the work and research questions surrounding the archival object and document, as well as various contributions in the field of literary and cultural studies! Discover also the other volumes of the series!

* Claire Schmartz, BUG. 010000100101010101000111
Hydre Editions, 2022, Fiction, German

The professor and top researcher is working on her latest project, the intelligent robot BUD. She works tirelessly on it because she wants the robot to be perfect. For testing purposes, she moves the prototype into a new flat. But something is wrong with the algorithms, because BUD makes inexplicable mistakes. There is a bug.

* Maxime Weber, Das Gangrän
Kremart Edition, 2021, Fiction, German

In various places around the world, a blue, shimmering, root-like web appears that causes all organic life to decay immediately. During the train journey from Paris to Luxembourg, the newly graduated Jeanne reads about this strange natural phenomenon on the Internet, which is spreading rapidly and is said to have already claimed several lives. The life-destroying phenomenon becomes the all-determining factor in the formerly tranquil town of Pardange in Luxembourg.

This spring, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will give enthusiastic readers an opportunity to discover and explore the diversity of Luxembourg’s literary and book publishing scene with booth at Leipzig Book Fair.

At the Leipzig Book Fair, the second largest in Germany, which this year will be held from 27 to 30 April, six Luxembourg publishers – Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions, Point Nemo Publishing – will present their new spring releases.

Not only is these fair critically important for helping boost the profile of Luxembourg works and authors – through the organisation of readings and the presentation of authors attending the events — but they are also a platform where professionals can meet up and discuss and debate issues, while serving as the perfect venue for the general public to discover Luxembourg authors and find out just how diverse the Luxembourg book sector actually is.

Visit the “Books From Luxembourg” booth in Halle 4, Stand C303 from 27 to 30 April