Literatures of the World

_18.00_literature of the world
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

Irina Liebmann (Germany)
Presented by: Verena Auffermann
„Wäre es schön? Es wäre schön!“ is the title of an article written by Rudolf Herrnstadt in the Communist Party organ "Neues Deutschland" in 1951 to encourage the population of Berlin to begin the reconstruction of the destroyed city. Irina Liebman portrays her father as a protagonist of German history, marked by Fascism, war, and his devotion to Communism which ended tragically. The chronicle was awarded the Prize of the Leipzig Book Fair.

_19.30_literature of the world
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

Ulrich Peltzer (Germany)
Presented by: Marius Meller
"You are either part of the problem or part of the solution." "Teil der Lösung", Ulrich Peltzer's current novel takes place in Berlin. The characters move between establishment and protest, terrorism and post-modern theories in a life increasingly controlled by the state. Peltzer creates a movie-like atmosphere of a metropole and subtly combines an endearing love relationship with today’s times.

_21.00_literature of the world
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

Dinaw Mengestu (Ethiopia/USA)
Presented by: Barbara Wahlster
Reader: Christian Banzhaf
In his much celebrated literary début, “The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears”, Dinaw Mengestu tells the story of an Ethiopian immigrant in the U.S. who thinks back to his homeland with nostalgia as well as bitterness. With lucid sentences and quiet style, Mengestu portrays the suffering that people cause each other. The German translation of the novel will be published in early 2009.