Press Release
European Literature Night 2013
Cross a continent in one evening with some of
Europe’s finest literary talent
The British Library, Wednesday 15th May 2013, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Now in its fifth year, European Literature Night returns once again to celebrate the best of literature from
across the continent.
European Literature Night invites you to join an enthralling journey of words across some vivid cultural
landscapes. Featuring eight exceptional writers, each selected by a panel of judges from over 70 entries
spanning 23 countries, the evening will offer readings and conversation from internationally acclaimed
writers, alongside some dazzling new literary voices from Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Slovenia,
the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.
Hosted once again by the British Library, European Literature Night is held in association with EUNIC
London and will take place simultaneously across 15 other European cities on Wednesday 15th May 2013.
The evening will be chaired by the broadcaster Rosie Goldsmith, who said of the night:
‘European Literature Night is one of the most important and entertaining international literature events in the
country. This is our 5th year, my 5th year chairing, and of course it’s better than ever! We had 70 entries and
selected the final 8 authors not just for their brilliant writing but also for their excellent English and
performance skills. It’s a great mix and gives this ‘best of European literature’ the exposure and prominence
it so highly deserves.
Showcasing a vibrant range of stories, there is something for everyone as the authors present a rich variety
of literary explorations on love and family, social and political conflict, personal and historical mysteries,
alongside a historical account of the Lipizzaner horse and political observations and comment from Turkey.
The eight participating writers are as follows:

Norbert Gstrein is the author of several collections of stories and novels. His first novel, The English
Years (2002), won international critical acclaim and Winters in the South, his first novel in translation
into English has been awarded several European literary prizes.

Miha Mazzini is a bestselling Slovene writer, author of twenty-seven books published in nine
languages. He is also a screenwriter of two award-winning feature films and is a voting member of
the European Film Academy.

Erwin Mortier’s debut novel, Marcel, won several prizes and was nominated for the most
distinguished Flemish and Dutch literary awards. He also is a poet, essayist and translator and
regularly contributes to newspapers and literary magazines throughout Europe.

Jordi Puntì writes in Catalan and is a regular contributor to the Spanish and Catalan press.
Considered one of the most promising new voices of contemporary Catalan literature, Lost Luggage
his first novel, has been translated into 15 languages, and won the Spanish National Critics' prize
2011.

Ece Temelkuran has published ten books is one of Turkey’s best-known journalists and political
commentators. Her books broach subjects that are highly controversial in Turkey and she has won
numerous awards for her work, including the Pen for Peace Award.

Jáchym Topol is the leading Czech author of his generation and of the postmodern trend in Czech
prose after 1989. Famous in his youth as an underground poet and songwriter, his most recent
novel, The Devil´s Workshop, received the 2013 English PEN Award for outstanding writing in
translation.

Birgit Vanderbeke has written seventeen novels and is one of Germany's most successful literary
authors. The Mussel Feast was published in 1990, won many literary prizes and has never been out
of print since. It has been translated into all major European languages.

Frank Westerman was born in 1964 and lives in Amsterdam. He is the author of seven highly
acclaimed books, including Ararat, Engineers of the Soul and, most recently, Brother Mendel’s
Perfect Horse. His work has been published in more than fifteen languages and has won many
prizes.
Janet Zmroczek, Head of European Studies for the British Library, commented on this year’s event: “We are
delighted to be hosting European Literature Night for a fifth year. From medieval manuscripts to modern
crime fiction, the Library has a wonderful collection of poetry, drama and prose, in every language from
Occitan to Albanian, Icelandic to Luxembourgish, so we are delighted to have this chance to celebrate the
richness of European writing with other cities across the continent.”
Tickets are priced £7.50 (£5 for concessions), and can be booked direct with the venue via the website or by
phone: +44 (0)1937 546546. Further details about European Literature Night are available at:
http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event145279.html
- ENDS-
Rosie Goldsmith and the eight participating authors are available for interview.
For further information and all press enquiries, including press tickets for the event, please contact:
Jessica Jackson on jessicajacksonpr@gmail.com / +44 (0)7866 675 877
Notes to Editors:
Tickets and Booking

Tickets can be booked direct with the venue via the website or by phone +44 (0)1937 546546.
About European Literature Night


European Literature Night is presented in partnership with EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for
Culture) London, the European Commission Representation in the UK, the British Library, the Czech Centre
London and Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions.
Authors were selected by a panel of judges comprising: Rosie Goldsmith (broadcast journalist), Daniel Hahn
(writer, translator and Director of BCLT), Janet Zmroczek (Head of European Studies at the British Library) and
Kristian Jensen (Head of Arts and Humanities at the British Library)
About Rosie Goldsmith

Rosie Goldsmith is a journalist specialising in arts and international affairs, in the UK and abroad. As a BBC
broadcaster she travelled the world, from Libya to Japan to East Timor, and is a high profile champion of
European literature.
About the British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research
libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific
communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection.
The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing
every age of written civilisation and includes books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents,
photographs, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Up to 10 million people
visit the British Library website - www.bl.uk - every year where they can view up to 4 million digitised collection
items and over 40 million pages.
About EUNIC

EUNIC LONDON is the network of the cultural institutes from the member states of the European Union in
LONDON, as part of EUNIC. The network was established in September 2007 in London and has at present 28
members and associate -members who share knowledge and resources on a common European agenda. With
the aim of further enhancing the awareness for European cultural diversity and creativity in the UK, we develop
annual as well as one-off projects. EUNIC London is the initiator of the London European Literature Night, which
is one of its many projects designed to further enhance the awareness for European cultural diversity and
creativity in the www.eunic-london.org/
About Speaking Volumes

Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions was set up by Sharmilla Beezmohun and Sarah Sanders in 2010
after producing the Free the Word festivals in eight countries for PEN International and in London at
Shakespeare’s Globe, Southbank Centre and Free Word. We have worked with the European Commission to
produce a number of literary events in translation and are producing European Literature Night for the second
year. In 2012, we ran Poetry Parnassus on Tour, the largest UK poetry tour of international artists ever
produced, in partnership with Southbank Centre. In 2013 we are hosting the first AfroEuropes cultural
programme in London and collaborating with partners to produce a 100 Poet Festival in Seoul, South Korea in
2014.