New Books in German

www.new-books-in-german.com

A Selection from Austria, Germany and Switzerland

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

Summer Lies

Zoom Bernhard Schlink Translated by Carole Brown Janeway Weidenfeld & Nicolson   ‘The author of the international bestseller The Reader returns with a stunning collection of stories about the mysteries of the human heart. Tender yet unsentimental, achingly personal but utterly universal, Summer Lies asks what it means to love, to deceive and ultimately, what it is to be human.’ – Sophie Buchan, Editor

The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books

Zoom Walter Moers Translated by John Brownjohn Harvill Secker   ‘From the bestselling author of The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear, an extraordinary new Zamonian adventure. The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books picks up the story of Zamonia’s greatest living author, Optimus Yardspinner. Lured to Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, by a cryptic missive, he once again encounters monsters galore and is drawn into an irresistible maelstrom of events …’ – Fran Barrie, Harvill Secker

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Wenn Träume sterben/ When Dreams Die

A beautiful ballad about the warmth of love and beauty and the pain and sadness that take over when it turns cold...  

Wenn Träume sterben

Music and lyrics by Henrik Lüchtenborg

 English Lyrics:

When dreams die, don’t let me go,
when leaves fall, let me stay here a little while,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
and when love is mere use, let me feel strength,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
when everything ends and nothing new begins,

when the pictures are silent and blue turns gray,
when rust flows in my veins,
when everything warm is just too cold,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
when love is mere use, let me feel strength

and when love is silent,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,

when everything ends and nothing new begins...

[Translated by Jasmina Tacheva]

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German Lyrics:

Wenn Träume sterben, lass mich noch nicht mit gehn,

 wenn Blätter fallen, lass mich noch’n Weilchen hier stehn,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz

und wenn Liebe ist nur noch Nutz, lass mich Stärke fühlen,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn alles endet und nichts Neues mehr beginnt,

wenn Bilder schweigen, wenn blau zu grau erstarrt,

wenn Rost in meinen Adern fließt,

wenn alles warm einfach zu kalt wird,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn Liebe ist nur noch Nutz, lass mich Stärke fühlen

und wenn die Liebe verstummt,

gib mir Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn alles endet und nichts Neues mehr beginnt…

New Writing from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria

If you're near Chicago or New York you'll have an opportunity to hear from some of the best younger writers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in the coming weeks.

First up is the Festival Neue Literatur taking place February 11-13 at several locations around NYC and presenting two authors each from the three countries: Dorothee Elmiger, Andrea Grill, Julia Schoch, Antje Rávic Strubel, Peter Weber and Andrea Winkler. The festival is curated by Susan Bernofsky and Paul North and sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum, Deutsches Haus NYU, the German Book Office, the German Consulate, the Goethe-Institut NY, Pro Helvetia, and the Swiss Consulate. The festival web site also provides sample translations of the authors.


Then on Wednesday, February 16, 2011, Dorothee Elmiger and Andrea Grill will join German author Christiane Neudecker for Literaturlenz at the Goethe-Institut Chicago.  Additionally, the writers will visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison (on February 15), the University of Illinois at Chicago (on February 17) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (on February 18).