• Books
  • ILB 2021: Meet the young writers

Books

ILB 2021: Meet the young writers

We speak to two of the authors selected for Nahaufnahme, a reading event for some of Germany’s most exciting upcoming writers.

For 35 years, young writers between the age of 11 and 21 have been invited to submit their works of any topic and genre to Treffen Junger Autor*innen, an annual contest hosted by Berliner Festspiele. While Treffen Junger Autor*innen, which includes workshops and readings, takes place in November, five of the selected authors get an early chance to read at International Literature Festival’s Nahaufnahme (“Close-up”) event.

Ahead of the event on Friday, September 10, two of these young writers, Paula Schlagbauer and Kristina Vasilevskaja, told us about their writing habits and what they’re working on next.

Paula Schlagbauer

Image for ILB 2021: Meet the young writers

Paula Schlagbauer was born in Regensburg in 1999. She’s studies set design and stage direction in Berlin and Munich and works as a technical assistant at Maxim Gorki Theatre. Photo: Supplied.

How did you react when you heard you won this writing contest?

I checked it out on Instagram and felt generally happy.


Why do you write?

It’s a hobby, I guess. Kind of like transforming your life into something people like to listen to.

When do you write?

In the night.

Where do you write?

On my bed. 

What do you need to write (silence, coffee, other substances…?)

A room to myself, a rhythm and a lot of binge watching
…

What’s the best/worst thing someone has said about your writing?

It’s kind of all the same. Very easy to read and understand. 


How has the pandemic impacted or inspired you as a writer, if at all?

Not really, I guess
.

Who gets to have the first peak at your writing?

My boyfriend. 


If you don’t make it as a (famous) writer, what could you imagine doing instead?

Theatre maker.

What can we expect from you next?

The premiere of my play chickenfilet on October 28 at Cammerspiele Leipzig.


Kristina Vasilevskaja

Image for ILB 2021: Meet the young writers

Kristina Vasilevskaja was born in Siberia in 2001, but has been living in Berlin for most of her life. She’s currently volunteering for ecological causes in Greece. Photo: Jonathan Goepfert

How did you react when you heard you won this writing contest?

I was biking and stopped right on when a friend called me and told me that I was at the Treffen der Jungen Autor*innen. I could not believe it for quite a long time.

What would your dream writing career be like?

Having a writing career would be a dream already.

Why do you write?

I need to write to understand myself better. I write to connect pictures and thoughts that seem to be small but have a big impact on how we see our life.  

When do you write?

I love to write in the very early morning because then the thoughts are fresh and there is nothing disturbing.

Where do you write?

To summarise the frequencies, I write mostly in my bed or when I am on the train. Being in a garden or at a place that spreads a different kind of energy gives me a good rush of inspiration.

What do you need to write (silence, coffee, other substances…?)

Other substances would be a luxury for a writer probably, I am fine with simply having space inside and outside. And pen and paper is a must because sometimes I don’t even have these by hand.

Mention a book you wish you’d written yourself and why?

Obviously there are tons of books that I wish to have experienced writing. One of them might be “Bluets” by Maggie Nelson because she describes a very unique love towards the colour and narrates it in numbered notes.

What’s the best/worst thing someone has said about your writing?

I remember my mother telling me how she loves the melody of the words since she didn’t understand the content completely after I read a poem to her. When people tell me that they can see images and feel something after reading my writing – this makes me really happy.

What’s your favourite or least favourite word and why?

I realised that I have many words that I really like and most of them are from other languages like Greek and Italian.

How has the pandemic impacted/inspired you as a writer, if at all?

With more time to write and to question a lot of issues concerning society but also myself, the pandemic has given me space. I got to focus more on my environment and how things changed and I continue being sensitive to my sensations.

Who gets to have the first peak at your writing? (Do you have a mentor, a mother, a publisher?)

Sometimes I read pieces and poems to good friends who know me well and who write themselves, since these are able to relate much better.

If you don’t make it as a (famous) writer, what could you imagine doing instead?

The thought of not being a professional writer frightens me less than not writing at all. If I will have writing, especially creative writing, in my career I will be more than happy. Apart from this I see myself baking banana cake.

What can we expect from you next?

I have been working on a bigger essay project about beauty for a long time and I really want to finish it.