9 cultural centres come together to present ‘Long Night of LiteratureS’
New Delhi, 25 September, 2015: A collaborative presentation by 9 cultural centres of India (Austrian Cultural Forum; British Council; Embassy of Switzerland; Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan; German Book Office; Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre; Institut Français en Inde; Insituto Cervantes; Polish Institute and Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council) brought a new dimension to literature by presenting ‘Long Night of Literature’.
Since 2010, Goethe-Institut/MMB and Pro Helvetia have been jointly organizing the ‘Long Night of Literature’ presenting authors that write in German, together with their translators and Indian authors. This year, the event saw major participation of authors coming in from various parts of Europe like Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and UK along with India. The format encourages audiences to listen to several authors through the course of the evening. Each author was addressing to an audience of about 12-15 people for 20 minutes. This concept allows the audience a very intimate space and personal interaction with their favourite authors.
The literature night saw writers from different parts of the world come together under one roof to present an enthralling experience to the audience. The authors of repute gracing the event were - Aisling Fahey (UK), Josef Haslinger (Austria), Constantin Simon (France), Danko Rabrenovic (Germany), Gabor Lanczkor (Hungary), Raj Kamal Jha (India), Katarzyna Bonda (Poland), Asha Miro (Spain) and Andrea Blanchetti (Switzerland).
Rob Lynes, Director, British Council, India said, “The British Council is delighted to partner with Goethe-Institut/MMB and Pro Helvetia to bring the concept of literature night to India. British Council collaboratively develops and curates a number of projects in literature and arts to strengthen the ties between UK and India. The event will present an amalgamation of different genres and authors to the Indian audience.”
The audience present at the event got a chance to experience listening to the writers reading excerpts from their famous books. The evening witnessed authors talking about various aspects in literature and addressing queries of the audience. The interactive session with each writer provided a deeper understanding of their writings.
UK based author Aisling Fahey will be travelling to Delhi, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Pune while she is in India. Aisling, Young Poet Laureate of London, acts as a voice for young Londoners. She has performed in various locations across England, America and Ireland, including the Barbican, the Houses of Parliament and Glastonbury. At the event she spoke about what inspires her poetry and about her work and journey as the Young Poet Laureate of London. Germany author Danko Rabrenović read from various works that showcase his humorous journey through two different worlds. On the other hand, Indian author Raj Kamal Jha read excerpts from his novel The Blue Bedspread that was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award recently.