L´viv 2006

This much enthusiasm is seldom. Such a young audience is, too. It is as if the people of Lviv had only waited for this very festival, the first international literary festival in their town. I had listened to many readings just in order to discover that a real exchange took place between the – inspired – authors and the – inspired – listeners, according to the motto: Literature wants to change things, and it is able to. Across languages and borders.

Only the penal discussions lacked a certain concision and charisma. However, this did not carry too much weight in view of the rich range of performances. The more so as the literary word in Lviv has shown to be as suggestive as dialogue-provoking. An encouraging experience!

Ilma Rakusa, born in 1946 in the Rimvaska Sobota (Czechoslovakia), lives and works in Zurich. Her father is Slovenian, her mother of Hungarian origin. She grew up in Budapest, Ljubljana, Trieste and Zurich. She has studied Slavonic studies and Romanian studies in Zurich, Paris, Leningrad (pc. Petersburg). Since 1977 she is assistant lecturer at the Zurich University. She is lyric poet, translator and critic and published regularly in Neue Zürcher Zeitung and in Die Zeit. Her most important book publications are "A line by everything" (1977), "Love after Love" (2001) and "Von Ketzern und Klassikern" (2003). She was awarded the book price of Leipzig for the European communication (1998) and the Adelbert of Chamisso price (2003).

Wie Winter. Gedichte
1977, Edition Howeg, Zürich

Die Insel. Erzählung
1982, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Miramar. Erzählungen
1986, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Stepp Erzählungen
1990, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Leben. Fünfzehn Akronyme
1990, Edition Howeg, Zürich

Les mots/morts. Gedichte
1992, Edition Howeg, Zürich

Jim. Sieben Dramolette
1993, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Farbband und Randfigur.
Vorlesungen zur Poetik
1994, Droschl Verlag, Graz

Ein Strich durch alles.
Neunzig Neunzeiler
1997, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Love after Love.
Acht Abgesänge
2001, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Von Ketzern und Klassikern
Streifzüge durch die russische Literatur
2003, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M

Langsamer!
Gegen Atemlosigkeit, Akzeleration und andere Zumutungen.
2005, Literaturverlag Droschl, Salzburg

Stille. Zeit. Essays
2005, Tartin Editionen,Salzburg

Durch Schnee.
Erzählungen und Prosaminiaturen Nachwort: Kathrin Röggla
2006, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M (st 3794)