European Borderlands – How far does Europe reach?

A literary ramble through Transylvania, Hungary and Moldova

The eastward enlargement of the European Union also defines new borders. Historically grown cultural regions were separated and disrupted. Borders may be spaces of contact, but also of friction. However Europe has yet to learn to experience its old and new borders as something positive – as spaces where different cultures coalesce and mix, spaces which create something new.
But how do the ‘borderlands’ of Europe actually look like? What sort of cultural exchange takes place at the margins of Europe?

In the course of the “European Borderlands” festival, 16 authors from seven countries have travelled through Romania and Moldova in June 2007, taking part in three literary festivals. This specific border experiences produced some texts which were brought forward and discussed at the Leipzig book fair 2008. The presentation was joined by a guest, the German author Tanja Dückers, who completed the impression of European Borderlands due to her long trips to Romania.

The following authors participated in reading and discussion:

    * Attila Bartis (Hungary)
    * Vitalie Ciobanu (Moldova)
    * Nicoleta Esinencu (Moldova)
    * György Dragomán (Hungary)
    * Tanja Dückers (Germany)
    * Alek Popov (Bulgaria)