As with many English-speaking readers, literature from Germany is represented by a gap on my shelves, in my case occupied only by a few Thomas Mann titles. So, I came to The German Riveter as a neophyte: a wonderful position to be in when faced with such a rich and diverse library. Aided by our reviewers, German literature experts, translators, poets and authors, who have contributed insightful and reflective pieces to our magazine, I have been able to immerse myself in writing from Germany, and hope you will too.
In this, the seventh edition of The Riveter, we are focusing on writing from Germany itself, not literature written in German – in other words not from Austria, Switzerland or elsewhere. We have exclusive extracts from key German books, accompanied by reviews and relevant features. We have essays by translators, journalists and academics; we have poetry, and we have memories of those days thirty years ago when a country was reunited.
In my Afterword, after you and I have read through all these contributions, I will reflect further on them. For now, thank you to everyone who has made this magazine possible, to our contributors who have generously worked for us for free, to our Riveter-in-Chief Rosie Goldsmith, our assistant editor Alyson Coombes, our production editor Anna Blasiak, our business manager Max Easterman, and our illustrator Axel Scheffler. Thanks also to our sponsors, the Goethe-Institut London, Frankfurt Book Fair International, the German Embassy UK, Arts Council England, the British Council and the British Library London.
Enjoy our riveting collection of German writing. I’ll see you on the other side!
by West Camel
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