Scottish Writers’ Centre Presents Christoph Simon and Iosi Havilio, with Stefan Tobler (AOS)

Scottish Writers’ Centre is pleased to host an evening of exciting new voices from the international literary scene. And Other Stories publishes contemporary writing that is mind-blowing, often ‘challenging’ (Maureen Freely) and ‘shamelessly literary’ (Stuart Evers). Join us for a memorable night of dazzling prose in the company of Christoph Simon (Zbinden’s Progress) and Iosi Havilio (Open Door), together with Stefan Tobler. Featuring Donal McLaughlin and Beth Fowler (trans.).

Christoph Simon was born in 1972 in Emmental, Switzerland. After travels through the Middle East, Poland, South America, London and New York, he has settled in Berne. His first novel, Franz, or Why Antelopes Run in Herds (2001) has sold over 10,000 copies, while Planet Obrist (2005) was nominated for the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. Zbinden’s Progress is his fourth and already highly acclaimed book- Winner of the Bern Literature Prize 2010.
Praise for Simon: ‘a wonderful, heart-rending, beautiful book; witty, multi-layered and moving’, Buchkultur.

Iosi Havilio was born in Buenos Aires in 1974. Open Door is his first novel. His second novel is Estocolmo (Stockholm, 2010), and he is currently working on a novel that follows on from Open Door. He has become a cult author in Argentina after Open Door was highly praised by the outspoken and influential writer Rodolfo Fogwill and by the most influential Argentine critic, Beatriz Sarlo.
Praise for Open Door: ‘a remarkable first novel’ Independent; ‘A moving and highly original novel. A good translation is one that convinces as a work in its own right’, Margaret Jull Costa.

Stefan Tobler founded And Other Stories in 2010 while finishing a PhD in contemporary Brazilian poetry and translation. He was born in the Amazon and translates poetry and prose from Portuguese and German.