On September 12th, UPF Austria and the Pen Club Austria co-hosted a Literature and Culture Evening entitled “Nostalgia”.
The event combined music, readings, and conversations on literature and migration, offering the audience diverse content in an engaging atmosphere.
After words of welcome by Peter Haider, President of UPF Austria and introductory remarks by Anton Marku, representing the PEN Club Austria, a musical performance opened the program.
The three invited authors – Jadranka Klabučar Gros, Dušan Savić, and Anton Marku – were introduced to the audience and took part in a panel discussion. They spoke about their personal experiences with migration, their literary work, and the role of literature in the social contexts of Austria and the Balkans.
Then followed the authors’ response to prepared questions offering deeper insights into their work:
Jadranka Klabučar Gros (Croatia/Austria), who has lived and worked in Vienna since 1990, spoke about her work in the cultural association “Wort, Farbe, Klang (Word, color, sound)” as well as about her lyrical poetry. She primarily writes poems (five volumes have been published), but also short stories. In 2005, she founded Wort-Farbe-Klang in Vienna with several other enthusiasts and is currently the association's president. She also heads the Austrian branch of the World Art Games Association.
Dušan Savić (Serbia/Austria) reflected on his international recognition, his literary engagement with the wars in the former Yugoslavia and read a moving text about the siege of Sarajevo. He published his first story in 2007 in the daily newspaper Politika which was followed by a short story collection "The Saddle - Banja Luka from the Suitcase of Memories". His novels "Wiener Rad" (Vienna Bike), "Porajmos" (Porajmos), "Inter Vivos" (Intermediate Station in Lisbon), and "Mittagosta Lissabon" (Lisbon Stopover) have been translated into several languages. Savić has been nominated for prestigious literary awards.
Anton Marku (Kosovo/Austria) reported on his involvement in the Albanian Writers’ Association in Austria, as well as his roles in the PEN Club and as a Peace Ambassador of UPF. He has lived and worked in Austria for sixteen years and has already published several books. He writes primarily poetry, but also short stories. Marku is chairman of the "Aleksandër Moisiu" Association of Albanian Writers and Cultural Workers, based in Vienna, and a member of the Austrian Writers' Association. Some of his works have been translated into several languages.
The readings by the three authors, interwoven with musical contributions, created an intense but lively atmosphere. During the subsequent audience discussion, questions were raised about the role of literature in society, migration experiences, and writers’ freedom of expression.
The moderator thanked the presenters and the audience and invited everyone to purchase the authors’ books and to engage with them in personal conversations over a buffet with food from the Balkan region which rounded off the event.
The Literature and Culture Evening impressively demonstrated how powerfully literature can build bridges – between languages, cultures, and people sharing their personal experiences.