View Content #1272
| Contentid | 1272 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | German Literature: Spreading the word on the internet |
| Body | From: The German Information Center The idea isn't new, but its execution is unparalleled. The internet portal Litrix.de has been launched to promote the translation of German books into other languages. But unlike its predecessors, who use carefully fabricated summaries to promote new books, Litrix brings the actual text to the reader by offering up to 20 sample pages in English. The site isn't just for Germanophiles, but "primarily for those interested in literature and people active in the book market, for publishers, editors, translators, literary scouts, but also for students," says Heike Friesel from Litrix's editorial staff. The Goethe Institute has been instrumental in bringing the project - funded by Germany's Federal Cultural Foundation - to life. The first authors to have their books publicized on the portal are a select group of very prominent authors whose works have made a splash in a sea of new publications this past year. Among them are Uwe Timm's "My Brother's Example" and Asfa-Wossen Asserate's "Manners," an inquiry into Western European social mores. Alongside recent notable fiction and non-fiction bestsellers are the most important new books for children and young people. The emergence of Litrix.de bodes well in combating the veritable dearth of German books in translation on America's book market, a development that has only occurred in the last few decades. The first wave of German writers who found wide audiences in the United States did so with the help of a number of successful Jewish publishers and editors who fled Germany during the rise of Nazism. Names such as Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, and Heinrich Boell became cult hits and academic standards - often because there were many talented German-speaking professionals in New York's publishing community. Beginning this year, the site will also include translations into Arabic, and next year it hopes to finance the translation of books on the site into Eastern European languages. Links: Litrix.de New German books in translation, from Germany Info German-American partnerships in publishing, from Germany Info |
| Source | The German Information Center |
| Inputdate | 2004-02-25 15:20:00 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2004-02-25 15:20:00 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | Not set |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
