By Siobhan O’Leary

On Saturday, German-language independent publishers and their fans gathered together at the beautiful Literarisches Colloquium villa in Berlin for the fifth year in a row to hear readings by some of the most respected voices in German independent publishing. The event drew an impressive crowd of literature enthusiasts. Hosted by the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin (LCB), the event is meant to celebrate the work of independent publishers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art books and more, and to provide them with an opportunity to promote and sell their publications.

Among the twenty German, Swiss and Austrian publishers in attendance were Berenberg, kookbooks, Luxbooks, Voland & Quist and Max Marek, along with a number of their authors.

One of the most memorable books on display was a collaboration of paper artist and publisher Max Marek and poet Monika Rinck — Elf kleine Dressuren. Published by Edition Sutstein and available for a whopping 670 EUR a copy, the book — released in a limited edition of 15 copies — features short but rich texts contributed by Rinck, accompanied by Marek’s intricate paper cutouts. Passers-by were handed delicate white gloves before handling the books as Marek detailed his creative process: he first received the bound and printed books and then meticulously incorporated the cuttings onto the blank pages of each individual copy. Not a job for the faint of heart or the shaky of hand!