The National Book Centre was present at the BuchWien08 book fair, which opened officially at the Museumquartier Monday, 17th November in the presence of over 800 book lovers, publishers, writers, and personalities of the Viennese cultural life and public officials.
The joint efforts of the National Book Centre and of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna focused during the past months on a good representation of the Romanian writers at this event, so that Romania was the best represented country, with the most numerous book and authors presentations – 10 out of the total 340 that were held at the fair.
Vienna proves an excellent launching opportunity on the entire German book market, because it is permanently connected to East European culture, being also historically connected to this region. Over the past three years, the interest of the Austrian editors and public for Romanian authors, the writers’ residences and the financial support for translations and literary awards offered by KulturKontakt, the Romanian Cultural Institute’s translation support programmes have been backed by the monthly programmes of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Romanian literature initiated in 2007 and that have been carried with the support of the Austrian Foundation for Literature.
On the first day of the fair, on the stage put up within the exhibiting area, Romanian authors Adrian Chivu and Ion Manolescu were presented.
Adrian Chivu: “It has been a beautiful fair and a unique experience. We are looking forward to the results, not necessarily for me, but for all Romanian writers. With small but confident steps, we will be getting there."
Ioan Manolescu: "I am extremely honoured by the Romanian Cultural Institute’s invitation to the fair. It has been a great joy to be able to read, answer questions and meet a very warm audience here, at BuchWien. The programme whereby RCI Vienna supports these public reading sessions is highly welcome and I trust with all my heart that it will continue with other authors and the financial support such an institute deserves."
Catrinel Plesu, director of the Romanian National Book Centre: "It is a great joy to come to Vienna and see that the readings from Romanian authors are expected, appreciated, have an audience and that Romania has not remained some obscure, eccentric place about which nothing but terrible things are said. I hope that we will continue, that we will be able to support translations from the Romanian authors and slowly take our normal place as European authors in Europe, staying Romanian all the while."
On the second day of the Reading Festival, an event associated with the Vienna Book Fair, the National Book Centre and RCI Vienna organized a reading session at the Centre for Literature where writers Ioan Grosan and Radu Aldulescu were present. In the impressive decorum of the Fuerstenberg palace, the literature lovers have listened to excerpts from the novels “O suta de ani la portile Orientului” and “Istoria eroilor unui tinut de verdeata si racoare”, read by actress Katharina Stemberger. The discussions with the public were mediated by Jan Koneffke, a well-known German writer, contributor to several Viennese cultural publications and very familiar with the Romanian literary scenery.
Ioan Grosan: "For a writer, taking part in an international fair is the most important thing, for if we were to write for our native countries only, we would be autistic. The fact that the Romanian Cultural Institute and RCI Vienna organize such meetings with the readers abroad is remarkable and I wish it continued. It is essential for any Romanian writer to get feed-back, to check his/her talent against a foreign backdrop.
Radu Aldulescu: "To me, participating in an international book fair is extremely important, for it has happened for the first time and I am 54 years old. It is important that I get to be promoted at last. I have written six books and my expectations were much higher that what I have been offered and finally, my books have started to enjoy some sort of success with the critics in Romania, but it has not been reflected in a selling one. None of my books have been translated yet. My presence here at BuchWien 08 is the first step in that direction."
Manfred Muller, the Austrian Foundation for Literature: "The way the Romanian Cultural Institute sees to promote literature in Vienna is remarkable. I don’t think there is another cultural institute to carry a programme of such a complexity. What I like most about it is that authors that are very different get promoted, both debutants, and established writers. Cultural institutes usually promote established writers exclusively. The Romanian Cultural Institute presents a living image of Romanian literary life, of a relaxed and comprehensive manner."
The stand of the National Book Centre displayed a selection of the 130 volumes, albums and magazines published so far through our programmes, albums published by the RCI Publishing House as well as promotional materials for the programmes and projects carried by the Romanian Cultural Institute.
The joint efforts of the National Book Centre and of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna focused during the past months on a good representation of the Romanian writers at this event, so that Romania was the best represented country, with the most numerous book and authors presentations – 10 out of the total 340 that were held at the fair.
Vienna proves an excellent launching opportunity on the entire German book market, because it is permanently connected to East European culture, being also historically connected to this region. Over the past three years, the interest of the Austrian editors and public for Romanian authors, the writers’ residences and the financial support for translations and literary awards offered by KulturKontakt, the Romanian Cultural Institute’s translation support programmes have been backed by the monthly programmes of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Romanian literature initiated in 2007 and that have been carried with the support of the Austrian Foundation for Literature.
On the first day of the fair, on the stage put up within the exhibiting area, Romanian authors Adrian Chivu and Ion Manolescu were presented.
Adrian Chivu: “It has been a beautiful fair and a unique experience. We are looking forward to the results, not necessarily for me, but for all Romanian writers. With small but confident steps, we will be getting there."
Ioan Manolescu: "I am extremely honoured by the Romanian Cultural Institute’s invitation to the fair. It has been a great joy to be able to read, answer questions and meet a very warm audience here, at BuchWien. The programme whereby RCI Vienna supports these public reading sessions is highly welcome and I trust with all my heart that it will continue with other authors and the financial support such an institute deserves."
Catrinel Plesu, director of the Romanian National Book Centre: "It is a great joy to come to Vienna and see that the readings from Romanian authors are expected, appreciated, have an audience and that Romania has not remained some obscure, eccentric place about which nothing but terrible things are said. I hope that we will continue, that we will be able to support translations from the Romanian authors and slowly take our normal place as European authors in Europe, staying Romanian all the while."
On the second day of the Reading Festival, an event associated with the Vienna Book Fair, the National Book Centre and RCI Vienna organized a reading session at the Centre for Literature where writers Ioan Grosan and Radu Aldulescu were present. In the impressive decorum of the Fuerstenberg palace, the literature lovers have listened to excerpts from the novels “O suta de ani la portile Orientului” and “Istoria eroilor unui tinut de verdeata si racoare”, read by actress Katharina Stemberger. The discussions with the public were mediated by Jan Koneffke, a well-known German writer, contributor to several Viennese cultural publications and very familiar with the Romanian literary scenery.
Ioan Grosan: "For a writer, taking part in an international fair is the most important thing, for if we were to write for our native countries only, we would be autistic. The fact that the Romanian Cultural Institute and RCI Vienna organize such meetings with the readers abroad is remarkable and I wish it continued. It is essential for any Romanian writer to get feed-back, to check his/her talent against a foreign backdrop.
Radu Aldulescu: "To me, participating in an international book fair is extremely important, for it has happened for the first time and I am 54 years old. It is important that I get to be promoted at last. I have written six books and my expectations were much higher that what I have been offered and finally, my books have started to enjoy some sort of success with the critics in Romania, but it has not been reflected in a selling one. None of my books have been translated yet. My presence here at BuchWien 08 is the first step in that direction."
Manfred Muller, the Austrian Foundation for Literature: "The way the Romanian Cultural Institute sees to promote literature in Vienna is remarkable. I don’t think there is another cultural institute to carry a programme of such a complexity. What I like most about it is that authors that are very different get promoted, both debutants, and established writers. Cultural institutes usually promote established writers exclusively. The Romanian Cultural Institute presents a living image of Romanian literary life, of a relaxed and comprehensive manner."
The stand of the National Book Centre displayed a selection of the 130 volumes, albums and magazines published so far through our programmes, albums published by the RCI Publishing House as well as promotional materials for the programmes and projects carried by the Romanian Cultural Institute.
