A fragmented world. City & Country | Day 4

The matinee in honour of David Grossman, the highlight of this year's European Literature Days, will be introduced with atmospheric sounds by Pamelia Stickney on theremin and Peter Roman on electric guitar.

Walter Grond then welcomes all the guests, in particular the winner of this year's Austrian Book Trade Prize of Honour for Tolerance in Thought and Action, the Israeli author David Grossman.

In his short speech, Benedikt Föger, President of the Austrian Book Trade Association, recalled that the author had already received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2010 and recalled his acceptance speech at the time, in which Grossman expressed his conviction that ‘only peace will give Israel a home and a future’. ‘How great was the hope for peace back then, how small is it today,’ Föger reflects and reminds us of the task of publishers and booksellers to believe in tolerance and peace even in these times.

Grossman's literary work is characterised by his ability to put the wounds and hopes of a conflict-ridden region into words. He proves that through empathy and the courage to reflect, ways out of the spiral of conflict and hostility are possible. However, Föger also reminds us of the peace activist that Grossman is and that he has been advocating reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians for decades. This voice, which unwaveringly pleads for reconciliation and humanity, is being honoured with the award today.

After the laudatory speech by journalist and literary scholar Lothar Müller, who honoured Grossman's extensive oeuvre and its significance, Grossman spoke about how tolerance is by no means a matter of course. Tolerant behaviour is something that goes against our nature, against human instinct, something that has to be learned.

In her introduction to the conversation with David Grossman, Rosie Goldsmith recalls the author's biographical stages, which were accompanied by war and conflict, but also by something that is greater than everything: art. Grossman says that writing is a form of survival for him and that his books represent stages in his life. In the interview, he reports that shortly after the death of his son Uri - he was killed by a Hezbollah rocket during the Lebanon war - he was given many books to help him come to terms with his grief. But the only thing that could really help him was to write himself: ‘If I want to know what I feel, I have to write it down.’

The massacre of 7 October 2023 paralysed him, says Grossman. He needs time to understand what is happening and where Israel is heading. When asked by Goldsmith about his greatest fear regarding his country, the writer expressed the fear that it would no longer be a democracy. The country of his origin is valuable to him and he has no intention of leaving it - if only because it is the only place where he feels he understands the social and communicative codes - but it is becoming increasingly difficult to like this country, especially because people have already become accustomed to the role of the occupier.

However, Grossman does not believe in cultural boycotts of Israel. It is a stupid idea to boycott precisely those who want to facilitate dialogue and represent the other Israel. He doesn't want to live in a world where you have to be afraid to speak, says Grossman, to whose remarks the audience in the sound room of the Krems Minorite Church responded with great applause and standing ovations.

The 16th European Literature Days came to an end in the usual festive atmosphere. The participants from all over the world leave Krems and probably return with a lot of inspiration - whether in the countryside or in the city.