Der andere nebenan. An anthology from Southeast Europe

Stuttgart/Berlin – September 20, 2007

The anthology "Der andere nebenan" (The other, next door), which was commissioned by Robert Bosch Stiftung and S. Fischer Stiftung with support from Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e.V., will be published on September 21, 2007, by S. Fischer Verlag. It aims to draw attention to the complex situation on the Balkans, transcend frontiers, and foster reconciliation. In masterful short stories and essays, 21 authors attempted to probe the causes of the civil war - the sudden outbreak of hatred that turns neighbors into enemies – understand them and explore ways to restore trust.

"What we have in common – things that are almost identical – all too easily becomes a divisive factor when circumstances permit. This is the fundamental insight on which the anthology is based," says the publisher, Swedish writer and journalist Richard Swartz. He worked as the Eastern Europe correspondent of the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet for over 30 years. His books have been translated into many languages. The most recent works published in English are "Resist not Love" (1999) and "A House in Istria (2002).

To do justice to the cause, the anthology’s theme, and the origins of the authors, the work will be published in 2007 in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Numerous readings and debates will take place in the German-speaking world and in Southeast Europe, among them two readings with discussions in the ARTE booth at Frankfurt Book Fair (October 10 and 11, 2007), a major presentation in Berlin, and a series of events in eight literary centers in Germany and Austria between October 27 and November 8, 2007. The anthology's media partners are ARTE-TV and the magazine LITERATUREN.