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European Literature Days 09 at Hainfeld Castle
9-11 October 2009
Readme.cc and Blütenlese Hainfeld Castle

Tous les détails

Between 9 and 11 October 2009, Hainfeld Castle in southern Austria will become a centre for European literature. Under an initiative by the European literature portal, Readme.cc, the European Literature Days 09 will take place there, marking the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Bringing together authors, scientists, journalists and cultural decision-makers as never before, the festival will foster link-building across national borders through literary exchange. The first ever prizewinners of the new European Union Literature Prize will be presented in association with the European Commission and the festival looks set to be an annual event at Hainfeld Castle.

Hainfeld Castle, the biggest moated castle in southern Austria, has an impressive literary past. Already in the nineteenth century, the master of the castle, Josef von Hammer-Purgstall, as president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, orientalist and translator of Persian and Turkish texts, had entered into cultural exchange beyond his national borders. On Friday 9 October the first European Literature Days festival will be opened in Josef von Hammer-Purgstall’s historic library at Hainfeld Castle with contributions from prominent European authors.

On the program:
What contribution can literature make to international understanding? What do we recognise as European literature?
Will the internet have replaced the book by the year 2020?

These questions that hold such relevance to the literary profession will be illuminated and examined through a multi-lingual forum. The planned talks will be translated into different languages. There will also be the chance to chat to authors in the castle’s literature lounge and to talk to editors and journalists from different European countries.

The European literature portal Readme.cc has showcased authors of high quality literature for several years. A selection of these authors has now been invited to a reading event at the festival at Hainfeld Castle, in order to introduce them to an international audience. Authors from Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, the Czec Republic and Hungary are already scheduled to attend.

One of the high points of the festival will be the appearance of winners of the European Union Literature Prize, which is being presented for the first time in 2009. In participation with the European Commission, Readme.cc will reveal the winners at Hainfeld Castle.

A literary performance will help the festival forge links with music. Finally, in the castle’s courtyard, there will be music from Tosca’s new album  "No Hassle", a project by Richard Dorfmeister, who, with Rupert Huber has put together one of the most influential European music projects of the last two decades. The sound-world of "No Hassle" is huge: sounds from an internet databank meet conga-samples, rural bouzouki themes are played on Rupert’s grand piano, tones of the flageolet on the organ, electric guitar, strings, moog, bass and the bus in front of the door into Huber’s studio at home.  

European Literature Days 09 will also be accompanied by a culinary programme. Wine-growers, restaurateurs and specialist producers will offer south Austrian specialities and wines at stalls ranged around the castle’s courtyard, giving guests the opportunity to taste delicacies for the palate in between literary specialities.

"I have put all my efforts into the preservation and revitalization of this unique Renaissance building,“ said Annabella Dietz, Director of Hainfeld, „There has also been a lot of historic material to work through and refurbish, not least the contents of Hammer-Purgstall’s library, which contains many literary treasures that have not previously been unearthed. Building on this, I hope that Hainfield Castle will increasingly become a European centre where literature, art, culture and science can meet. That is why I welcome the partnership with Readme.cc, which uses modern methods to pursue similar goals.“

For more detailed information and media enquiries, please contact the literature and press office, Politycki & Partner:
info@politycki-partner.de