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… or at least it seemed that way as the members of the International Association of Crime Writers (IACW / AIEP) joined Swiss writers of crime fiction for dinner at Zurich’s Alt-Klösterli restaurant to celebrate the end of IACW’s 2011 annual meeting. This evening also marked the end of the Swiss crime fiction festival Mordstage, which took place simultaneously in Zurich.
IACW met in Zurich for the first time this year, and organizers put together a rich and varied program for members and guests. Many of the events offered the opportunity for both specialists and lay audiences to gather information of the highest quality, such as:
• Metamorphosis: Crime Fiction in/and Translation, a roundtable discussion on the pitfalls of translating crime fiction, featuring American, British and German authors;
• e-Book: A New Media, a look at a new publication medium that is becoming ever more popular in addition to print publication;
• Crime Series – The Pleasure of Repetition at the University of Zurich, likewise a roundtable discussion, this time focusing on television crime fiction series.
Other highlights were:
• A crime-fiction reading, Cop or Bulle?, at Zurich City Police Headquarters – surely a particularly apt setting for a criminal topic – followed by an apéritif in the building’s famous Giacometti Hall;
• A reception given by the City of Zurich for IACW’s members, at which Corine Mauch, President of the City of Zurich, charmed listeners with her references to the criminal peculiarities of Zurich – a task made infinitely more difficult by the fact that Zurich is one of Europe’s safest metropolises;
• The Krimitram (a tram ride featuring a crime fiction reading) in both German and English, organized in conjunction with Zurich’s Municipal Transport Services.
In media terms, too, both IACW's meeting and Mordstage were a success. Several local stations, the daily newspaper Blick and the television program Zehn vor zehn (“Ten to ten”) reported on both events.
The program for international guests was so full that the occasional absence of some authors was explained by their going back to the hotel for a rest!
Our sincere thanks go to all who helped make this event possible through their financial support. They include:
• The City of Zurich, President Corine Mauch and Mr. Roman Hess,
• The Culture Office of the Department of Justice and Home Affairs, Ms. Susanna Tanner
• Syndikat (the authors' group for writers of German-language crime fiction), Ms. Angela Eßer
• Zürcher Kantonalbank; Mr. Christoph Marthaler
• Zurich’s Municipal Transport Services, Mr. Heinz Vögeli and Ms. Silvia da Silva
• Mordstage, Mr. Paul Ott
• Arja Immobilien AG, Zug.
We hope that all the participants have meanwhile recovered from the excitement and strain of the event.
With kind regards,
Dr. Jutta Motz
Bernd Zocher |
