Christmas season is reading season at the Austrian Cultural Forum London. In the below segment, our librarian has picked the top 4 new books in our library, that are the perfect read on a cold winter’s day! If you are a fan of Austrian literature or want to discover new books and stories by Austrian authors, the below selection is for you.
Marie Gamillscheg: Aufruhr der Meerestiere
Luise, a young marine biologist has an idiosyncratic fascination for the unpopular jellyfish species "sea walnut”. For a cooperation of her institute with a renowned zoo, Luise travels to her hometown Graz, where she is confronted with her difficult relationship with her absent father. In an almost lyrical flow of thoughts, the reader is confronted with personal and family problems, competitive pressures at work and eating disorders. Marie Gamillscheg has crafted a novel that takes the reader into the depths of the oceans and into the shallows of family relationships.
Franzobel: Die Eroberung Amerikas
Franzobel mixes depictions of cruelty with humour by choosing Hernando de Soto (Ferdinand Desoto in the novel), who brutally subjugated and massacred the indigenous population of South America, as his novel’s protagonist. In 1538, de Soto set out for an area of what is now the United States to find his own El Dorado. This novel about the "most unsuccessful Spanish conquest campaign of all time" is populated with grotesque characters, scenes and subplots, resulting in a deservedly ironic take on the arduous conquering existence.
Doris Knecht: Die Nachricht
Four years after the death of her husband, Ruth lives alone in the house on the countryside where the family used to be happy. The children have long had their own lives, while Ruth learns to appreciate how to be alone. Until she receives an anonymous message from a person who seems to know more about her past than Ruth herself.
Doris Knecht writes about a woman who suddenly becomes the persecuted, and proves herself ever-sceptic of interpersonal relationships.
Black Voices: War das jetzt rassistisch? 22 Antirassismus-Tipps für den Alltag
Prejudices are not always obvious, but rather hidden in casual everyday questions. Anti-racism experts from African, Muslim, Asian, Jewish and Romani communities give insight on how everyday racism in Germany and Austria feels to them. As people of colour, they explain how to recognise racist questions and thought patterns and provide thought-provoking impulses on how to overcome them. This book illustrates the realities of life without pointing fingers, breaking-open internalised racism.
To borrow any of the above books, please visit our library during opening hours and drop an email to hannah.kaip@bmeia.gv.at. More info on our library can be found here.
