European Festival of the First Novel

European Festival of the First NovelSince 2003 new prose from ten European countries forms the heart of the European Festival of the First Novel. Ten novelists and their editors as well as other professionals of the literary world are gathering in Schleswig-Holstein/ northern Germany to discuss writing and publishing, to acquaint themselves with new novels, and maybe pave the way for translation.

  • What is the project about?
    European Festival of the First Novel

    The festival, which takes place at "Literaturhaus Schleswig-Holstein" in Kiel, is a combination of an expert conference on European first novels and a public reading by all participating authors.

    80 writers and about 60 publishers from 15 countries have so far taken the opportunity to present current first novels. From Norway to Hungary, from Finland to Spain, participants have made their way to Schleswig-Holstein. From the start, a network for authors and publishers of future European literature has come into existence, and it is steadily growing. In fact, some of the presented first novels have meanwhile been translated into various languages.

    The initiators' original idea of strengthening the role of literature as the most prominent promoter of the actual reality of life in the diversity of European languages and cultural traditions is beginning to take shape beyond expert discourse in Schleswig-Holstein. For the reading and the discussions during the four days a brochure provides the basis which presents extracts from and synopsis of all ten novels as well as biographical and bibliographical information on the authors in German, English and French.

  • Who is the target group?

    Public event: interested public in general

    Conference: writers, editors, literary specialists

    Seminars at the University of Kiel: students and lecturer

  • Who are the project partners?
    Each year, there are involved ten countries into the project. Partners of the project are: Germany (Literaturhaus Schleswig-Holstein, Ministry of Culture of Land Schleswig-Holstein), France (Centre Culturel Français de Kiel/ Institut Français, Bureau du Livre Berlin), Denmark (Litteraturcentret Kunststyrelsen, Copenhagen), Estonia (Embassy of Estonia in Berlin), Finland (FILI - Finnish Literature Information Centre), Italy (Cultural Institute of Italy, Hamburg), Latvia (Embassy of Latvia in Berlin), Netherlands (NLPVF), Norway (NORLA), Austria (Literaturabteilung der Kunstsektion im Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur der Republik Österreich, Literaturhaus Wien), Poland (Institut Książki Kraków, Consulate General of the Republic Poland in Hamburg), Switzerland (Pro Helvetia), Spain (Spanish Embassy in Berlin, Fundación Siglo para las Artes de Castilla y León), Czechia (Ministry of Culture in Prague), Hungary (JAK - Jószef Attila Kör).
  • Next edition of the project
    In 2012, the European Festival of the First Novel will take place between 10 and 13 May at "Literaturhaus" in Kiel/ northern Germany.



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Key Facts

  • start of the project in 2003
  • accredited with the ARS BALTICA logo since 2005
  • located at Kiel (Germany)
  • countries involved: Germany, France, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Czechia, Hungarya

Website

http://www.literaturhaus-sh.dehttp://www.kultur-frankreich.de

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