ACFNY SUPPORTED |FRANZOBEL: DAS FLOSS DER MEDUSA/THE RAFT OF THE MEDUSA
In “Das Floss der Medusa” (Zsolnay, 2017), the Austrian writer Franzobel re-tells the true story of one of the greatest disasters in seafaring history. Wrapped in a breathtaking novel, this is a story of suffering, moral, and human survival that is as topical today as it was in the 19th century.
In cooperation with several universities in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York presents a literary tour of the renowned and prolific Austrian author, offering an opportunity to talks and personal encounters with Franzobel who is also undertaking research for his forthcoming historical novel.
BOOK SYNOPSIS
July 18, 1816, eleven o’clock in the morning: Off the West coast of Africa, the captain of the Argus spots a raft of about twenty meters in length. What he sees makes his blood run cold: hollow eyes, parched lips, hair stiff with salt, burned skin full of wounds and blisters … The emaciated, naked bodies are the last 15 of the original 147-man group who have survived two weeks at sea after the sinking of the frigate Medusa.
“With this book, the 49-year-old Austrian has moved definitively into the master class of literature.” Ulf Heise, MDR
ABOUT
Franzobel (*1967) is one of Austria‘s most popular and controversial writers. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize (1995), the Arthur Schnitzler Prize (2002) and the Nicolas Born Prize (2017). Zsolnay most recently published his novel Was die Männer so treiben, wenn die Frauen im Badezimmer sind (2012), the crime novels Wiener Wunder (2014) and Groschens Grab (2015) and Das Floß der Medusa (2017), which was shortlisted for the German Book Prize 2017 and for which he was awarded the Bavarian Book Prize.
For details and individual events see:
AUSTIN: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/germanic/
DALLAS: https://dallasgoethecenter.org/calendar-event/franzobel-reads-from-the-raft-of-the-medusa/
SAN ANTONIO: http://colfa.utsa.edu/modern-languages/news/austrian-author-franzobel-visits-utsa
With special thanks to Paul Zsolnay Verlag Vienna and all the individuals and institutions who helped put this tour together.
Image Credit: Georg Buxhofer/Paul Zsolnay Verlag