Gestern war es soweit: Der LiteraturRaum jährte sich zum ersten Mal. Vor einem Jahr im September starteten wir das Projekt gemeinsam mit dem internationalen literaturfestival berlin (ilb), ohne genau zu wissen, wo es uns hinführen würde. Die Resonanz des LiteraturRaums bei den teilnehmenden Autoren sowie das positive Feedback von Hotelgästen, Literaturinteressierten und Kulturschaffenden überzeugten uns und das ilb, das zunächst auf ein Jahr festgelegte Projekt weiter zu verlängern.

Das Cover

Quasi als Resümee und zur Feier unseres Einjährigen haben wir gestern auf der Pressekonferenz des internationalen literaturfestivals berlin (ilb) “Dear Frau Bleibtreu” vorgestellt. “Dear Frau Bleibtreu” ist die gedruckte Kollektion einer Auswahl von Blogeinträgen unserer 11 Autoren, die in den ersten 12 Monaten am LiteraturRaum teilnahmen. Die limitierte und nummerierte Auflage von 3.000 Stück ist im Hotel und auf Anfrage erhältlich. Illustriert sind die Texte mit Fotos von Ali Ghandtschi, der intime und sensible Blicke auf die Schriftsteller wirft. Wir freuen uns schon auf die nächsten Autoren – Liao Yiwu und Colin McAdam in 2010 – und auf viele spannende Blogeinträge, Lesungen, persönliche Gespräche und auf das Feedback aller Freunde des LiteraturRaums!

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LiteraturRaum starts its second year and celebrates with “Dear Frau Bleibtreu” (en)

Yesterday was the first anniversary of LiteraturRaum. One year ago in September, we started the project together with the internationale literaturfestival berlin (ilb), without really knowing, where it would lead us. The feedback of the participating authors, all the people interested in literature, our guests and the members of the cultural sphere was so positive, that we decided to prolong the project, which had initially be scheduled for one year.

As a resumee and celebration of our anniversary, we presented „Dear Frau Bleibtreu“ yesterday on the press conference of the ilb. „Dear Frau Bleibtreu“ is a printed collection of selected blogs which our 11 authors of the past 12 months wrote. 3.000 limited and numbered „Dear Frau Bleibtreu“ copies were printed. The texts in it are illustrated by photos made by Ali Ghandtschi.

We are looking forward to the authors to come – Liao Yiwu and Colin McAdam in 2010 – and to many exciting blog entries, readings, meetings and the feedback of all friends of the LiteraturRaum!

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Das “Making of …” von “Dear Frau Bleibtreu”

Noch verpackt und verhüllt - die Spannung steigt

"Dear Frau Bleibtreu" rollt an ...

Falscher Titel - richtiger Inhalt.

Handarbeit: Jedes Exemplar erhält eine Nummer per Stempel.

David Weinberger (Direktor Bleibtreu) und Ali Ghandtschi (Fotograf) halten die ersten Exemplare von "Dear Frau Bleibtreu" in den Händen.

Thousands of people made a pilgrimage to the Waldbuehne amphitheater. They came to the great ceremony led by the high priest, Leonard Cohen. 6.30 p.m. was the time; at 6.15, the amphitheater was half empty. By 6.30, they were there by the thousands, ages 18-70 from all nations and places.

He was there, his deep voice with all the prayers and pains, a voice better, deeper and more mesmerizing than ever; this was him, the high priest. It was not the soundtrack of their lives that brought the people there, but the soundtrack of their soul, the sound of love. “There is a crack in everything,” said the poet-troubadour/singer/cantor/musician Leonard Cohen,

“There is a crack in everything

that’s how the light gets in

Bring the bells…”

The light within, the bells of every beauty, these are the things that had brought the people there, as an antidote to cynicism—the disease of our generation.

It was an ancient ceremony where all the significant subjects of life were resynchronized, harmonized, praised with new purity, faith and exaltation. It was an old ceremony of great humility, modesty and compassion to the human condition. Leonard Cohen is a poet beyond everything and this has great importance; it means that he will accompany your soul for three and a half hours; that he will respect your intelligence, your mind; and mainly that he will facilitate within you this precious thing most intimate and most of the time hidden: your naked soul. Chastity and innocence.

He started by saying, “I am now before you in Berlin, which was once a turbulent place and now one of the most peaceful places.”

And one after another followed all his poem-songs for 210 moments of grace.