Leopold Federmair: "A Shrine on the Department Store Roof" and Marianne Jungmaier: "Continental Drift"

LEOPOLD FEDERMAIR, born in 1957 in Wels, lives as a writer and literary translator in Vienna and Hiroshima; he studied journalism, German studies, and history in Salzburg and has lived for extended periods in France, Italy, Latin America, and other countries; he is the author of novels and essays and translates from French, Spanish, and Italian, including works by Michel Houellebecq, José Emilio Pacheco, and Francis Ponge. In 2012, he received the Austrian State Prize for Literary Translations. His most recent publications include: "Hiroshima Capriccios," 2023; "The Invisible Throne and Other Stories," 2022; "Parasites of the 21st Century," 2021.
About the book: With "A Shrine on the Department Store Roof," the author, translator, and essayist Leopold Federmair, who has been commuting between Hiroshima and Vienna since 2006, presents a poetry collection of a different kind: In over 100 poems, he attempts to trace the Japanese culture, its spirit, and lifestyle without even touching on postcard motifs, relating them to his own readings and memories. (Publisher's text)
MARIANNE JUNGMAIER, born in 1985 in Linz. Studied media & film, cultural studies, and journalism. Numerous publications, scholarships, and residencies. Her debut novel "The Cake Protocol" was awarded the George-Saiko Prize in 2016. Max Kade Fellow in Bowling Green, Ohio, 2023. Teaches creative writing, moderates, and curates. Her most recent publications include: "Song of a Possibly Extinct Being," 2024; "In This Language: Whale Song," 2018; "Sun Kings," 2018.
About the book: Those who travel want to be in motion, to discover, to marvel, to learn. This collection of stories moves between Armenia, New York City, Mexico, London, and Pakistan, approaching different regions of the world in a poetic manner, rich in imagery and full of color. At its center are encounters with people, their individual stories, and their connection to a homeland that is foreign to us. The narrator engages openly, curiously, and respectfully – with single mother Lilit in patriarchal Armenia, with Gabriel, who organizes drag shows in London, or with Tom, a German journalist stranded in Dubai. (Publisher's text)