ACF London is thrilled to welcome one of Austria’s most interesting voices in recent Austrian literature, Elias Hirschl, presenting his brand-new book ‘Content’, published by Hanser in February. He will be joined by renowned translator Ruth Martin.
Elias Hirschl gained widespread recognition for his acclaimed 2021 political satire titled ‘Salonfähig’, which translates to “presentable” or “socially acceptable”. Apart from his success as an author, Hirschl is also recognized for his versatility as a spoken word artist. Additionally, he forms one half of the indie duo ‘Ein Gespenst’ alongside rapper and producer Christopher Hütmannsberger.
In this bilingual event, Hirschl will read from his latest novel ‘Content’, which explores the world of online content creation and job precarity. A sharp satire about the Clickbait generation, their working conditions, and the unfulfilled expectations regarding life and employment.
One of its excerpts received the 2022 ‘Publikumspreis’ at the annual Bachmannpreis competition.
Ruth Martin will present her translation of the story, commissioned especially for this event.
The evening will be chaired by Andrea Capovilla, Director of the Ingeborg Bachmann Centre for Austrian Literature and Culture, and followed by a Q&A.
Join us for this bilingual reading and discussion, offering you a fascinating insight into Hirschl’s latest work.
The event is organised in cooperation with the Ingeborg Bachmann Centre for Austrian Literature & Culture at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (University of London).
Elias Hirschl was born in 1994 in Vienna. He is a spoken word artist, musician, playwright, and novelist. Hirschl has won many accolades for his spoken word performances, and the 2022 Reinhard-Priessnitz-Preis for literature. Content (2024) is his fifth novel.
Ruth Martin studied English and European Literature before gaining a PhD in German. Since 2010 she has been translating fiction and non-fiction books by authors ranging from Joseph Roth and Hannah Arendt to Volker Weidermann and Shida Bazyar. Ruth has taught translation at the University of Kent and the Bristol Translates summer school. Her co-translation (with Charlotte Collins) of Nino Haratischwili’s The Eighth Life won the 2020 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
