Literatur im Dinzlschloss: BUCH13 - Bilanz:lesung

An evening in the name of literature

This year's award winners from Literatur:im:süden are Josefine Rieks [D/Vie] and Fabian Navarro [D/Vie]. The special prize goes to the Villach native Simone Schönett.

The jury, consisting of Univ. Prof. i. R. Arno Rußegger, Dr. Carina Nekolny, and writer Gerald Eschenauer, once again faced the dilemma of choosing the award winners from numerous submissions. Eschenauer emphasized once more the high quality of the literary contributions and the importance of such competitions. Each year, BUCH13, together with the city of Villach, awards three literary scholarships, two of which include a one-month studio stay in the heart of the Draustadt.

“We connect, invite, and simultaneously set literary processes in motion”, Eschenauer expressed with pleasure. The public will receive a small taste during the BUCH13 Bilanz:lesung.

Josefine Rieks
is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary German-language literature. In 2018, her novel Serverland was published, a highly regarded narrative about a world after the Internet. Rieks studied philosophy in Bonn and Berlin, and in 2025, she read at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition in Klagenfurt.

Fabian Navarro
born in Warstein in 1990, is an author, slam poet, and cultural organizer. Since 2008, he has been performing at reading stages and numerous poetry slams both regionally and internationally. As a creative writer, he has participated in projects in Cape Town, , and Tokyo. His novel Vienna Falling was published by Leykam Verlag in August 2025.

Simone Schönett
the author born and living in Villach studied Romance languages, pedagogy, and media communication in Italy, Israel, and Australia. The “unique literary voice of Austria” [tenor at the Leipzig Book Fair 2023] primarily writes prose but also poetry and dramatic texts. To date, her works include Andere Akkorde [2018, Edition Meerauge], Das Pi der Piratin [Edition Atelier], and most recently Beim Barte des Propheten published by Edition Atelier.

Free admission!

Photo: © Paul Buschnegg | Petra Weixelbraun | Eva Asaad