Wende Kids: A New Generation of German Writers October 26, 2006

http://www.lfla.org/aloud/calendar/?month=10&year=2006
Reading and panel discussion with Jana Hensel, Julia Schoch, Antje Rávic Strubel
Moderated by Zaia Alexander, writer & translator

For East Germans born and raised in the 1970s, the fall of the wall in 1989 abruptly ended their childhood. A new generation of authors observe the East-West friction through a unique perspective—distrust of socialism's failed utopia and skepticism of the affluent West.
Co-presented with Villa Aurora

Jana Hensel
Born 1976 in Leipzig, Jana Hensel studied Romance Languages & German literature in Leipzig, Aix-en-Provence, Berlin & Paris. Her book After the Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood, published in German under the title Zonenkinder, was a major bestseller in Germany. Jana Hensel works in Berlin as a journalist for a variety of magazines & newspapers such as DIE ZEIT, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Welt am Sonntag, & Vogue.

Julia Schoch
Born 1974 in Bad Saarow (East Germany), Julia Schoch studied Romance Languages & German literature in Potsdam, Paris & Bucharest. An author & translator, she has published 1 volume of short stories entitled Der Körper des Salamanders (Piper, 2001) & a novella Verabredung mit Mattok (Piper, 2004). Her short stories have been anthologized widely. She is the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Jury Prize at the Ingeborg-Bachman Competition in Klagenfurt (2005), Stefan Georg Prize for translating French Literature (2004) the Droste Prize, Meersburg (2003), the Friedrich Hölderlin Prize, Bad Homburg (2002), & the Brandenburg State Literature Prize (2001).

Antje Rávic Strubel
Born 1974 in Potsdam, Antje Rávic Strubel studied American & German literature & psychology at Potsdam University & New York University. An author & free-lance journalist in Berlin, her novels include: Kältere Schichten der Luft (S. Fischer, 2007), Tupolew 134 (C.H. Beck, 2004), Fremd Gehen: Ein Nachtstück (DTV, 2002), Unter Schnee (DTV, 2001) & Offene Blende (DTV, 2001). Her short stories have been anthologized widely. She is the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Bremer Literature Award (2005), Marburger Literature Award (2005), the Roswitha-von-Gandersheim-Award (2003), The Academy of Arts Award for Literature (2002), & the Ernst-Willner-Award at the Ingeborg-Bachman competition in Klagenfurt (2001). She was writer-in-residence at the Villa Aurora (2004).

Zaia Alexander (Moderator)
Zaia Alexander holds a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages & Literature from UCLA. Her publications include "Primo Levi: On Translation" in the Cambridge Companion to Primo Levi (2007), "The Translator's Diary" in Suitcase: A Journal for Transcultural Traffic, "The Danube Exodus: the Rippling Currents of the River" (co-authored with Marsha Kinder) in Future Cinema: The Cinematic Imaginary after Film (MIT). Her translations include Snowed Under by Antje Rávic Strubel, We're Alive & Life Goes On by Eva Roubickova (Henry Holt), & "On Translating and Being Translated" by Primo Levi (LA Times Sunday Book Review). She is currently Program Coordinator at the Villa Aurora.

Official Website: http://www.lfla.org/aloud/calendar/?month=10&year=2006