German author and journalist Eva Menasse about her acclaimed novel Darkenbloom, the need to speak up publicly and defend democracy against old and new enemies. “Journalism or history has to stick with the facts and cannot interpret people’s actions. This is what only literature or art can do. They bring these characters alive. This is what triggers me when I write fiction.” The novel Darkenbloom circles around two historical events – the fall of the Iron Curtain in the fall of 1989 and a war crime in the Austrian town Rechnitz, close to the Austrian-Hungarian border, taking place at the end of the Second World War. “I was a very shy person, but I think I was always determined, and this sense of outspokenness that people link up with me is just; it has some family roots. My father was a refugee as a child, and he had to emigrate to the United Kingdom at the age of eight years, where he was not allowed to speak German on the streets because, during war times, it was dangerous. When he returned, he rather did not talk about his past as a refugee child because, in these years right after the war, everybody wanted you to forget the past. So, he did not make a fuss about his particular life story. My brother and I were completely the opposite. We used to speak out as soon as we were able to publish, as soon as we were accepted as writers. I think we are making up at some point for what happened to our father.” To Eva Menasse, it is essential to engage in social and political discussions beyond the realm of literature. “When I’m participating in discussions, I always speak out as a citizen and part of our democracy. I really think that we are living in dangerous times, not only because of climate change but also because technology might be eating us up.” “It is an interesting question if art can help understand these developments because art itself has become the goal of discussion. There’s a lot: ‘Is this allowed or should this be prohibited in the arts? Should we cover up naked women?’ These questions were discussed by the feminists in the 70s. And in the 70s, they said: ‘No, we should not cover up naked women. We should also show naked men.’ Nowadays, it’s the other way around. And this is frightening.” Eva Menasse (b. 1970 in Vienna) is an Austrian author and journalist. She has studied history and German literature and is the sister of the known writer Robert Menasse. Menasse had a successful career as a journalist, writing for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Frankfurt and as a correspondent from Prague and Berlin. She left the paper to write her first novel, Vienna, which was shortlisted for the 2007 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in the UK. Her acclaimed novel Darkenbloom will be published in the UK in the autumn of 2024. In November 2023, she published an essay on digitalisation, social media and the state of the public debate Alles und nichts sagen. Vom Zustand der Debatte in der Digitalmoderne. Eva Menasse has received numerous awards: The Gerty Spies Prize for Literature, the Heinrich Böll Prize, the Friedrich Hölderlin Prize, the Jonathan Swift Prize, the Austrian Book Prize, the Bruno Kreisky Prize, and the Jakob Wassermann Literature prize. She was also a writer-in-residence in Mainz and a fellow at the Villa Massimo in Rome. Eva Menasse is also increasingly active as an essayist, for which she received the Ludwig Börne Prize in 2019. She lives in Berlin and is a founding member and, together with Deniz Yücel, spokesperson for PEN Berlin, launched in 2022. Eva Menasse was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner in August 2023. The conversation took place during the festival Louisiana Literature at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
