18.10.2024, 4:00 PM
Gittersee (‘Gittersee, Dresden’): Turning history into stories
Conversation
Charlotte Gneuss in discussion with her Italian and Norwegian translators, Silvia Albesano and Merete Franz
Chair: Shelly Kupferberg
Charlotte Gneuss’s celebrated debut novel Gittersee, which reflects the response of a new young generation of writers to the history of the German Democratic Republic, has had a big impact and inspired much discussion not only within Germany but also in neighbouring European countries.
The novel takes up themes such as friendship, political control, and the longing for freedom and shifts them into the context of today. In this debate the author and her Italian and Norwegian translators will illuminate the challenges and niceties of the translation process, and discuss the cultural differences involved and the difficulties of conveying in words the relevant atmosphere and emotions. They will discuss the attempts of writers to come to terms with the GDR, and the particular challenge of conveying the realities of a specific historical period to an international audience. And they will show how a debut novel that has been immensely successful within its home country of Germany has also had a big impact internationally and, thanks to translations, is resonating powerfully in other languages and cultures.
Address
Frankfurter Buchmesse
Zentrum Wort, Halle 4.1 F21
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
60327 Frankfurt am Main
Chair: Shelly Kupferberg
Charlotte Gneuss’s celebrated debut novel Gittersee, which reflects the response of a new young generation of writers to the history of the German Democratic Republic, has had a big impact and inspired much discussion not only within Germany but also in neighbouring European countries.
The novel takes up themes such as friendship, political control, and the longing for freedom and shifts them into the context of today. In this debate the author and her Italian and Norwegian translators will illuminate the challenges and niceties of the translation process, and discuss the cultural differences involved and the difficulties of conveying in words the relevant atmosphere and emotions. They will discuss the attempts of writers to come to terms with the GDR, and the particular challenge of conveying the realities of a specific historical period to an international audience. And they will show how a debut novel that has been immensely successful within its home country of Germany has also had a big impact internationally and, thanks to translations, is resonating powerfully in other languages and cultures.
Address
Frankfurter Buchmesse
Zentrum Wort, Halle 4.1 F21
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
60327 Frankfurt am Main
Cooperation Frankfurt Book Fair
18.10.2024,