European Literature Night 2016: The Writers’ Showcase

The centrepiece of the 2016 European Literature Festival, the Writers Showcase follows a day of talks and translation clinics at the British Library, with novelist and playwright Kate Mosse to deliver an opening address before appearances by the six 2016 ELN Writers – each chosen from a pool of 65 writers submitted by publishers in November – who will be interviewed on stage by broadcaster and director of European Literature Network Rosie Goldsmith.

The discussion will travel from the Turkish prison cells of Burhan Sönmez’s ‘Istanbul, Istanbul’ to the turned upside-down-lives in Dorthe Nors’ twisted and imaginatively-realised streets of Copenhagen; to Slovenian writer Gabriela Babnik’s seductive tale of forbidden love on the dusty plains of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; via Peter Verhelst’s deadpan Belgian humour in his Gorilla-narrated fable about the story of human civilisation (and its collapse). There is a tormented relationship unfolding between widow and son on Dutch-writer Jaap Robben’s remote and stormy island (located somewhere between Scotland and Norway); and we finish in Alek Popov’s strange and comic novel that moves between Bulgaria and New York, where two brothers question whether their long-deceased father is, in fact, dead.

Followed by a drinks reception

Kate Mosse: “Writing in translation offers us a way to understand our neighbours better and to shine a light on how the world fits together. At a time when the countless shared histories and stories from our many friends and strangers in Europe is danger of being lost in the politics of the EU debate, an initiative like the European Literature Festival is more important than ever. I’m delighted to be supporting it and taking part.”

Part of The Stories We Tell: 2016 European Literature Festival, organised by EUNIC London, initiated and coordinated by the Czech Centre.
More at: http://www.europeanliteraturefestival.org.uk/