The Book of Whispers and the Goteborg Book Fair
Mr. Varujan Vosganians Itinerary Göteborg Book Fair 2013
Varujan Vosganian, 27th 11.35 – 29th 18.15. Gothia.
27 September
13.00-14.15 Varujan Vosganian lunch with Bonnier Books Nordic CEO Jacob Dalborg, Heaven 23/Gothia Towers.
20.00-22.00 Börsen, The Gothenburg Book Fairs big representation party. Dresscode, jacket/informal. Gustav Adolfs Torg.
28 September
10.00-10.30 My Romanians. Four present Romanian authors in translation (Varujan Vosganian). With translator Inger Johansson. Literary stage (A01:60).
11.00-11.45 Big seminar with Cătălin Dorian Florescu, Varujan Vosganian, Dezideriu Gergely and Elisabeth Hjorth. K1
The image of the Roma in contemporary literature. Roma are undeniably one of the world’s most exposed peoples: constantly persecuted, banished from large parts of Europe already during the 16th century, enslaved in others, decimated under Nazi rule, excluded from society under communist times, exploited by criminal organizations in the new, open Europe. In literature, Roma are often described as struggling people on the outskirts of society, but also as colorful personalities deeply intimate with nature’s ancient laws. The topic of how Roma live on in contemporary literature is discussed by Cătălin Dorian Florescu, Elisabeth Hjorth and Varujan Vosganian, who have written about Roma in their latest books, Dezideriu Gergely, executive director of the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) in Budapest, and Klas-Göran Karlsson, writer and historian.
13.00-13.45 Big seminar with Varujan Vosganian. J1.
Armenian destinies. Very little is known about the Armenian Genocide, despite it being one of the worst catastrophies of the 20th century, counting a death toll of at least a million and innumerable refugees. Varujan Vosganian’s celebrated Cartea şoaptelor [The book of Whispers] has captured Armenian voices scattered all over the world – from the author’s own family, stranded in Eastern Romania, in yet another dictatorship, to those who sought refuge in south America or those who believed in communist propaganda and settled in soviet Armenia. Varujan Vosganian discusses with Ola Larsmo, president of the Swedish PEN, about Armenia’s forgotten dead, but also about the survivors and how they managed to transplant their ancient traditions to foreign soils.
