Enlarge image (© Festival Neue Literatur) Now in its third year, Festival Neue Literatur will bring some of the best up-and-coming German-language authors to New York for a series of conversations and readings with American writers. Six authors- two each from Austria, Germany and Switzerland- will join two American authors for events held throughout the city from February 9-12. Panel discussions will be led by literary critic Liesl Schillinger and acclaimed translator Susan Bernofsky.

The Festival Neue Literatur, or Festival of New Literature, is a joint project of the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, the Deutsches Haus at NYU, the Deutsches Haus at Columbia University, the German Book Office NY, the German Consulate General in New York, the Goethe-Institut NY and Pro Helvetia. Festival Neue Literatur is the premier platform in New York for presenting the work and scope of contemporary German-language authors.

This year's FNL was curated by award-winning translator of German modernist and contemporary literature Susan Bernofksy, who is also Chair of the PEN Translation Committee and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Literary Translation at Queens College. It features American authors Chris Adrian and Francisco Goldman, German authors Larissa Boehning and Inka Parei, Austrian authors Linda Stift and Erwin Uhrmann, and Swiss authors Monica Cantieni and Catalin Dorian Florescu.

Visit the FNL website for moderator and author bios, as well as sample translations of their work.

See below for the full schedule of events. All events are open to the public:

"How German Is It? Literary Voices from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  
A Workshop in Collaboration with Columbia Students."
February 10, 2012 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Columbia University (Deutsches Haus)
420 W. 116th St. (Between Amsterdam Avenua and Morningside Drive)
New York, NY 10027

Six young novelists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will present their latest work in a discussion with Columbia graduate students from the Department of Germanic Languages and the Writing Program. In English.  

Reinventing the Past
February 11, 2012 at 6 p.m.
Powerhouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn

Chris Adrian, Catalin Dorian Florescu, Inka Parei and Linda Stift in conversation with Daniel Kehlmann Literature is often a delving into the past, made all but involuntary because the past has returned to haunt the present. Whether the history in question is familial, political or ancient, traces of old trauma can cast the present in a new light. This panel explores the different ways in which the past can be put to work in the name of storytelling.

Frühschoppen Literary Brunch
February 12, 2012 at 12 p.m.
Deutsches Haus, NYU
42 Washington Mews

The six German-language authors of Festival Neue Literatur: Larissa Boehning, Monica Cantieni, Catalin Dorian Florescu, Inka Parei, Linda Stift and Erwin Uhrmann, give a sampling from their work, providing a taste of new writing from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Enjoy Beer, sausages, and other traditional German fare.  First come, first served.

Writing on the Margins: Literature between Cultures
February 12, 2012 at 6 p.m.
 McNally Jackson
52 Prince Street, Soho

Francisco Goldman, Monica Cantieni, Larissa Boehning and Erwin Uhrman in conversation with Liesl Schillinger
As in the United States, the literary scene in Europe is currently abuzz with hybridity and border crossings that explore the lives of characters who move between different cultural and ethnic worlds. There as here questions of power and authenticity are not far behind as these authors explore the sometimes explosive conditions that arise when cultures intersect and, yes, sometimes clash.

Enlarge image (© Festival Neue Literatur)