guests from abroad

A young writer of Russian descent born in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. Her father was a prominent businessman involved in North Ossetian political life. For political reasons and from fear of persecution, Maria Amelie’s family illegally emigrated to Finland and then Norway. After 8 years in Norway, Amelie had completed her studies and worked in the cultural sector – organising popular Scandinavian festivals.

Ukrainian writer, author of a volume of poetry St. Elmo’s Fire (Вогні святого Ельма, 2002) and the novel Lilu After You (Лілу після тебе, 2008). She has also published poetry and prose in the magazines Suczasnist, Czetwer, Forma(r)t, Kyjiws’ka Rus’, Swjatyj Wołodymyr, Radar (2/2010), as well as in various newspapers and on-line anthologies.

Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival since 2009. The Festival, started in 1983 as a biennial event and organised every year since 1987, is one of the key cultural events taking place in August in the capital of Scotland.

A writer and translator, currently living in New York. Her passion for German literature started with her reading of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales.

Studied in Milan and attended poetry seminars conducted by Micheal Donaghy and Derek Walcott. His poems have been published in literary magazines and anthologies in Switzerland and Italy. In 2009, his first volume of poetry, Ora prima. Sei poesie lunghe, won him the Leon Schiller Award.

Swedish Slavist, translator of Polish and French literature (mainly Jean Rouaud and Patrick Chamoiseau of Martinique) into Swedish. He has been translating Polish poetry (C. Miłosz, W. Szymborska, A. Zagajewski, E. Lipska) and prose (W. Gombrowicz, R. Kapuściński, H. Krall, H. Grynberg) for over 20 years, actively working on new Swedish editions of Polish authors.

Italian writer, essayist and a head of the Adelphi publishing house. He read English Literature at the Rome's La Sapienza University. In 1962, he began working for Adelphi Edizioni. He belongs to an elite of European intellectuals and is compared to Erich Auerbach and Ernst Robert Curtius. He is the author of: L’impuro folie (1974), La rovina di Kasch (1983).

He began his musical career as the lead singer in the band "Tel Aviv's Youth" and the Air Force Band before heading in a classical direction. Adi majored in opera at the Music Academy at Tel Aviv University, graduating with honors, and studied to become an Artist at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem. He graduated acting schools at Hillel Ne'eman and Ruth Dytches.

Poet, translator of poetry and essayist. He is a lecturer in the History of French literature at the Belarusian State University (Minsk), in general literature and the art of translation in the J. Kolas Belarusian Secondary School in Humanities.

Studied in Geneva and Lausanne where she currently lives. In 2001, her first volume of poetry Terre arraisonnée was published. In the second volume, Eté visionnaire (2002), she raises the issue of conscience, while in the third one – C’est bien ici que je vis (2004) – in an attempt to describe the condition of an artist.

Outstanding critic and historian of art. His approach to criticism was influenced chiefly by Clement Greenberg (1909–1994), considered to be one of the greatest and most influential American critics of the second half of the 20th century.

Popular and internationally recognised Indian writer, publicist and publisher. She married Rajiv Gokhale at a very young age. After the wedding she moved to Bombay, where she worked as a journalist. Her first book Paro: Dreams of Passion was released in 1984 and caused much agitation in India because of the brave treatment of the topic of sexuality.

A poet enjoying citizenship of Switzerland and Germany. In the autumn of 2011, she published her sixth volume of poems Mój wiersz nie pyta za długo (My poem does not ask for too long, accompanied by a CD) and the collection of essays Zrobię coś z językiem (I will Do Something with Language).

Singer-actor. Has a master`s degree in Education, studied theatre in NY, and opera singing in the Israeli Opera workshops. He plays the cello from the age of 12. Won the first prize in the Theatronetto Festival 2008 with his one man show "getting crazy" (ITRUF) by David Grossman.

One of the leading Israeli prose writers, a journalist and author of popular books for children. Grossman studied philosophy and theatre studies at the Hebrew University. He worked at an Israeli radio station where he created children’s programmes. As most of the Israelis did, Grossman supported Israel during the war (the 2006 Israel – Lebanon conflict). On the 10th of August, together with fellow authors (Amos Oz, among others) he held a press conference at which he strongly urged the government to agree to a ceasefire. Two days later his 20-year-old son, Uri Grossman, was killed by an anti-tank missile during a military operation in southern Lebanon.

Polish-American writer and historian of Jewish descent. She was born in Krakow as Ewa Wydra to a family of Polish Jews, Holocaust survivors, and it was there that she completed her primary education. She wanted to become a pianist, but in 1959, on board the Batory, Hoffmann emigrated with her parents to Canada and then to the United States. She studied at Houston's Rice University, Yale School of Music and the Harvard University.

French prose writer and poet, author of songs, a laureate of the prestigious IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (2002). In childhood he used his father’s name, however, when he grew up, he took his grandmother Henriette’s maiden name. He left France in 2000 to live in Ireland, and then in Andalusia. At the beginning of his adventure with literature he wrote mainly poetry. His first work, signed with the name ‘Michel Houellebecq’ was published in 1988. The La Nouvelle Revue de Paris magazine published five poems by Houellebecq under one title: Quelque chose en moi. One of the first important publications by Houellebecq was an essay about American weird-fiction writer, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, entitled H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life (1991).

An eminent Swiss writer. Born in Zurich, since 1968 she has been living in Milan. This is in this Italian city that she got to know Thomas Bernhard and Ingeborg Bachmann, as well as her future husband Robert Calasso – a famous Italian essayist and editor.

Kapuria is considered to be one of the most creative contemporary artists, whose concept of art involves diverse domains. The French government awarded him the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of the highest honours in the arts.

Israeli radio journalist, publisher, presenter and expert in world music. He headed the music department of the Galei Zahal radio station for 15 years and edited and presented HaKol Zorem (Everything Flows), a popular radio show, for over thirty years.

Canadian-Argentinian writer, essayist, editor and translator, author of numerous anthologies. As a 16 year-old, he earned extra money after school in the famous library Pygmalion in Buenos Aires, where he met Borges. He became one of Borges' personal readers (the author of Dr. Brodie's Report suffered from blindness, which made him incapable of reading).

American literary researcher, and political philosopher. He has lectured at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (1974-1977, 1987-2001) and at the University of California at Berkeley (1977-1987). Since 2001 he has worked at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was the author of the talked-about article Against Theory, which was published in 1982 on the pages of Critical Inquiry (written with Steven Knapp).

Born in Tel-Aviv. Graduate of Mannes College of Music and New York University. Co-founder of the Rimon School of Music, and teacher of harmony, composition and orchestration at the Rubin Academy of Tal-Aviv and Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

Studied German and English literature at the University of Zurich, devoting his doctoral work to Arno Schmidt’s works (1914-1979). From 1987 to 1995, he was a Director of the Robert Walser Archive in Zurich. Together with Bernhard Echte, he read and edited Robert Walser’s famous micrograms, which were later published as Aus dem Bleistiftgebiet (six volumes, 1985-2000).

One of the most outstanding contemporary Belarusian poets, and a translator, social and political activist. His mother, Anastasia Mahier, was Belarusian, his father, Prakop, was Russian, who by labour order was forced to leave Russia in order to help set up a kolkhoz in the Smarhon area of the Hrodna district. In 1962–1964, he attended Minsk Technical College.

An English poet born in Liverpool, member of the British Royal Academy of Literature. His first publication dates back to the second half of the 1960s. At the age of fifteen, he left formal education and decided to devote himself solely to poetry.

Israeli musician, composer, pianist, arranger, vocalist and record producer. Born in Tel Aviv, he started his musical education at the age of 8. In 1970, Rechter started his military service – he presented his first composition as a keyboard player in the Israeli artillery.

Historian of photography, lecturer at the faculty of art, aesthetics and philosophy of Université Paris 8. Organiser of numerous exhibitions, editor-in-chief of La Recherche photographique. Participant of many conferences and festivals on photography throughout the world.

Employee of the literature department at the Swiss Cultural Foundation Pro Helvetia in Zurich. She is also a co-organiser of the Babel festival of literature and translation in the Swiss town of Bellinzona. The Babel is an annual event, with a different country being the object of focus every year. In 2012, Poland will be the guest of the festival.

A Swedish writer, journalist and literary critic. One of the most interesting Scandinavian writers of recent years. A winner of numerous literary prizes, in 2009 he was granted De Nios Stora Pris. Hi latest novel, The Emperor of Lies: A Novel, was awarded the prestigious August Prize, founded by the Swedish Publishers’ Association.

Currently the most famous and most translated contemporary Israeli writer. She made her debut in 1989 with a volume of poetry, and in 1993, she published a novel, Dancing, Standing Still. In 1997, she published Love Life, a novel that brought her international success and numerous prizes

A historian and theorist of literature (University of Bern). He has taught at the University of Lausanne and in 2009 became a Director of the Robert Walser Centre in Bern. His work explores such themes as the culture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Expressionism, the works of Carl Einstein and Paul Klee, as well as novel theory and contemporary Swiss literature.

A Swiss-born author writing in Italian. He lives in Bellinzona and works as an editor at the Casagrande publishing house. The author of two books for children and an essay on the philosophy of language Il merito del linguaggio (The Merit of Language).

Outstanding Flemish poet, translator and Slavist. She debuted in 1978 with a volume of poetry on nostalgia, melancholy and solitude. Van Hee has published a number of volumes of poetry (including Behind Closed Doors, Snowed In, Winter Heart, Behind the Mountains, Blackberry Picking).

Swedish journalist of Polish origins, opinion writer, and translator (of the works of Zbigniew Herbert). After his graduation exam, together with his mother, grandmother and brothers, he emigrated to Sweden. He delivered parcels, was an orderly in a hospital, crane operator, and in this way learned the Swedish way of life and language. At university in Stockholm, he studied film history and the history of ideas. He began work as a journalist in 1981, writing reportages on the subject of the Solidarity movement.