What a fabulous day...
I enjoy literature very much and there is nothing quite like kicking back with a good book and a cup of tea on a rainy day.
This week there is the literature festival in Reykjavik and we have 20 foreign writers as guests, who are involved in lectures, readings and group discussions.
To name only a few: Margret Atwood, Bill Bryson, DBC Pierre, Nick Hornby and so forth...
Today however, it was about the Geramn writers, a new generation that is not as much involved with WW II, but rather with the German reunion in 1989.
Being born in East Germany, I felt it was only right I would attend todays lectures. I am so glad I went. The discussions were very interesting and I got to meet both Karen Duve(former West German) and Thomas Brussig (former East-German).
Both of their books have been translated into English.
They are so great, funny and witty. At one point I thought we were gonna have and East/West-German conflict between them, but they got over it.
I got my copy signed and an invitation from Thomas Brussig to come and see him at another lecture on Thursday. Which I will try to do. I read his book "Am kuerzeren Ende der Sonnenallee" a couple of years ago and was smitten with his writing.
Due to my studies, I have read many books...usually English/American authors and simply overlooked their German counterparts. In an attempt to resolve this, I purchased two books today!
Afterwards, my friend Lisa and I went to have something to eat and coffee when we bumped into our friend Bjartur Logi Ye Shen, Iceland is indeed very small. We had a lovely discussion and a great time. He tried desperately to explain to us the worth of a male human being and why we should try to keep looking for Mr.Right. He is hopelessly romantic and still believes that Princess Charming is just waiting around the next corner. God bless his cotton socks!
I hope you all had a good day too and I will dive right into my new books.
I enjoy literature very much and there is nothing quite like kicking back with a good book and a cup of tea on a rainy day.
This week there is the literature festival in Reykjavik and we have 20 foreign writers as guests, who are involved in lectures, readings and group discussions.
To name only a few: Margret Atwood, Bill Bryson, DBC Pierre, Nick Hornby and so forth...
Today however, it was about the Geramn writers, a new generation that is not as much involved with WW II, but rather with the German reunion in 1989.
Being born in East Germany, I felt it was only right I would attend todays lectures. I am so glad I went. The discussions were very interesting and I got to meet both Karen Duve(former West German) and Thomas Brussig (former East-German).
Both of their books have been translated into English.
They are so great, funny and witty. At one point I thought we were gonna have and East/West-German conflict between them, but they got over it.
I got my copy signed and an invitation from Thomas Brussig to come and see him at another lecture on Thursday. Which I will try to do. I read his book "Am kuerzeren Ende der Sonnenallee" a couple of years ago and was smitten with his writing.
Due to my studies, I have read many books...usually English/American authors and simply overlooked their German counterparts. In an attempt to resolve this, I purchased two books today!
Afterwards, my friend Lisa and I went to have something to eat and coffee when we bumped into our friend Bjartur Logi Ye Shen, Iceland is indeed very small. We had a lovely discussion and a great time. He tried desperately to explain to us the worth of a male human being and why we should try to keep looking for Mr.Right. He is hopelessly romantic and still believes that Princess Charming is just waiting around the next corner. God bless his cotton socks!
I hope you all had a good day too and I will dive right into my new books.
11 Comments:
Sounds like a near-perfect day to me.
I miss a campus. So much going on when you're on a campus.
Monika, welcome to spam! German assistance please, "On the shorter end of sun alley?"
Margaret Atwood is a great writer. The Blind Assassin was my favorite novel last year and I just got her new book yesterday.
Tan Lucy, yeah i am dreading the time I can´t call myself a student anymore :)
Doug, Sonnenallee is a street in Berlin. When Germany was devided the wall ran right through it. 70 meters of the street were East- German, the rest was in West- Germany. The book is about a group of young people living on those 70 meters. It is like a microcosm of the GDR and very funny!
I don´t know the title in English. But I suspect it to be something like: "At the short side of the Sonnenallee". This book was actually first a film, he was asked to write a script for a movie and later turned it into a book.
I loved "The Handmaid´s Tale" by Atwood. She realy is good and Canadian I believe :)
Yeah, I am putting my verifier up right now...
it works...my first verifier is
ejyzby:
pronounced while chewing: a German food speciality, commonly known as Eisbein.
Yeah today was a great day and I really enjoyed listening to the German writers... but yes our disussion afterwards with poor Shen about the worth or lack thereof of the male species was by far the highlight for me! ;-)
he really tried very hard to sell his gender, didn´t he. You have to give him credit for trying!!!
every book is a new book until you read it ... but where is the time!
happy reading, sweetie :))
evvavtsi: swahili for 'literature'
uhh...I thought evvavtsi was the curency in Lithuania!
yep, they pay each other with Swahilian books in Lithuania. sounds way cooler then cash
And easier to come by.
ytrmlu, n. An Icelandic boy's name equivalent to the English "Jim"
Ásgeir, saw you today, handsome as ever, at the Nick Hornby discussion. Wasn´t he just great?
Thanx for introducing me to his books. I believe the book: "About a Boy" that you gave me on one of my biorthdays (and long before the movie came out!), is the first of his that I read.
Doug, how did you know that? And your pronunciation was really good!
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