Kitab
Encyclopedia
Kitab-Verlag is a publishing house in Klagenfurt
, Austria
. It primarily focuses on books about the history of the culture of the near east
and on modern literature
from Austria
, Slovenia
, and Italy
. “Kitab” is the Arabic word for “book” and "Verlag" is German
for "publishing house".
and Robert Gutounig, who had the intention of publishing books, that should contribute to the understanding that the human race should be taken in its entirety and that it has a common cultural legacy that ought to be preserved. At the same time, it should be possible for the voices of smaller intellectual groups, often defined as local minorities, to find a broader reception. Another key objective for the publisher is therefore to keep alive critical voices of the “underground history of revolutions” (Bloch). System analysis and critique are part of this approach, as well as the promotion of authors, who have continuously sought to transcend national, cultural and religious boundaries. The series “Tangenten” was specifically introduced to promote such “border crossers” between cultures and nations.
The publisher’s other major objective is the promotion of important cultural and literary texts from other world cultures, such as those of Asian
, Africa
n or Latin America
n origin. After Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who said that “everything great is either translated or ought to be translated”, the publisher strives to make valuable contributions to world culture, which have in the past been overlooked by the more established publishers. Repressed humanist efforts should be made visible as well as delayed impulses of the enlightenment. Contemporary authors, who have dedicated themselves to cross-cultural communication, or who are prepared to follow new directions, should also be able to express themselves. During a time of globalisation
and international cross-linkage, the Kitab-Verlag seeks to establish contacts with non-German
publishers and publishes texts in other languages, which, according to the publisher, should be available worldwide. It is a particular concern for the publisher to tighten links between Europe
an and Oriental
cultures.
The publisher’s name should remind Europe of its Oriental legacy. The Kitab-Verlag has always shown a sympathetic ear towards voices concerned with the dialogue between world cultures and discourses about current conflicts. The publisher desires an open discussion with its readers and is always open to receive new authors with new ideas. As a publisher located at the melting point of Germanic, Slavic and Romanesque cultures, the Kitab-Verlag expressly seeks to present the literature of the “other”.
and Boris Pahor
. In her stories, Viktorija Kocman, a Serbian-Slovene author, reflects on the experiences of South-Slavs, who have settled in Austria. A German translation of the poems and essays of the Slovenian poet Edvard Kocbek
(with an essay of Alojz Rebula
) should provide valuable insights into the significance of the Christian
poet, who was a member of Tito
’s partisan army, but who also distanced himself from the atrocities of the Communist
massacres and was banned from writing. The publishing house is editing the books of the Slovenian author Boris Pahor: Blumen für einen Aussätzigen, 2004; Die Stadt in der Bucht (2005) and Piazza Oberdan (2008). In her radio plays, Barbara Frischmuth
tells of her encounters with Turk
culture. The Chechen
-German edition of poems by the emigrated Chechen
poet Apti Bisultanov
was an act of solidarity with the Chechen people with regard to the genocide and the USA
and Europe turning a blind eye on Vladimir Putin
’s policies.
Austria’s critical “Heimatliteratur” encompasses the “miniatures” by Engelbert Obernosterer, a system critique by Ingram Hartinger, Wolfgang Pollanz and Günther Freitag, songs by Chanson
-singer Barbara Stromberger, as well as essays about the work of Josef Winkler
. The well-known author Bernhard Hütteneger published his childhood memories and a travel book about Iceland
. The “Jahrbuch für Literatur Elf” was an attempt to position new authors, such as Olga Flor. With “Ausgegraben” the publisher sought to unearth forgotten authors, such as Max Hölzer, one of the few Austrian Surrealist
s. The well-known medievalist Peter Dinzelbacher published the voluminous work “Mentalität und Religiosität des Mittelalters” as part of the publisher’s science programme. The fate of the Christian minorities in the far East should be brought to light, especially now that the EU
is conducting membership talks with Turkey. Related to this is the publisher’s presentation of relations between Christian Ethiopia
and the Muslim
and European worlds.
The English translation of the history of the “Apostolische Kirche des Ostens” by Wilhelm Baum
and Dietmar Winkler has already been published by Routledge Curzon Press in London
, and the English translation of Baum’s biography of the Christian queen Shirin
of Persia (+628) was published by Gorgias Press
in New Jersey
, USA (Shirin. Christian – Queen – Myth of love). The Italian
translation of Baum’s book “Die Grafen von Görz in der europäischen Politik des Mittelalters” (2nd edition) was published in Gorizia
, Italy. The extensive volume “Kunstwerke sind Stationen auf dem Passionsweg zu einem verlorenen Paradies” was published to support the interdisciplinary discourse between art, literature and politics
. Letters and documents about the “Nötscher Kreis” (582 pgs and XLVIII boards), which illustrate the works of the painters Sebastian Isepp, Anton Kolig, Franz Wiegele and Anton Mahringer and their encounters with Egon Schiele
, Oskar Kokoschka
, Anton Faistauer, Alfred Kubin
, Hugo van Hoffmannsthal, Stefan Zweig
, Michael Guttenbrunner and Maria Lassnig
, also describe the painters’ confrontation with national-socialism and their discourse with the intellectual climate of the time (1st and 2nd edition 2004). The Kitab-Verlag considers the discourse between cultures and the critical confrontation with tribalistic historicism as its ongoing objective.
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It primarily focuses on books about the history of the culture of the near east
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
and on modern literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. “Kitab” is the Arabic word for “book” and "Verlag" is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "publishing house".
Objective
The Kitab-Verlag was founded in 1999 by Wilhelm BaumWilhelm Baum
Wilhelm Baum, an Austrian historian, theologian, philosopher and publisher. Born in 1948, Düsseldorf, Germany.- Biography :He studied history, German language and theology in Innsbruck, Rome, Mainz and Tübingen . In 1971 he became a doctor of philosophy and in 1999 in Graz a doctor of theology...
and Robert Gutounig, who had the intention of publishing books, that should contribute to the understanding that the human race should be taken in its entirety and that it has a common cultural legacy that ought to be preserved. At the same time, it should be possible for the voices of smaller intellectual groups, often defined as local minorities, to find a broader reception. Another key objective for the publisher is therefore to keep alive critical voices of the “underground history of revolutions” (Bloch). System analysis and critique are part of this approach, as well as the promotion of authors, who have continuously sought to transcend national, cultural and religious boundaries. The series “Tangenten” was specifically introduced to promote such “border crossers” between cultures and nations.
The publisher’s other major objective is the promotion of important cultural and literary texts from other world cultures, such as those of Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n or Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n origin. After Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who said that “everything great is either translated or ought to be translated”, the publisher strives to make valuable contributions to world culture, which have in the past been overlooked by the more established publishers. Repressed humanist efforts should be made visible as well as delayed impulses of the enlightenment. Contemporary authors, who have dedicated themselves to cross-cultural communication, or who are prepared to follow new directions, should also be able to express themselves. During a time of globalisation
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
and international cross-linkage, the Kitab-Verlag seeks to establish contacts with non-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
publishers and publishes texts in other languages, which, according to the publisher, should be available worldwide. It is a particular concern for the publisher to tighten links between Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Oriental
The Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
cultures.
The publisher’s name should remind Europe of its Oriental legacy. The Kitab-Verlag has always shown a sympathetic ear towards voices concerned with the dialogue between world cultures and discourses about current conflicts. The publisher desires an open discussion with its readers and is always open to receive new authors with new ideas. As a publisher located at the melting point of Germanic, Slavic and Romanesque cultures, the Kitab-Verlag expressly seeks to present the literature of the “other”.
Works
The publisher’s repertoire includes established Slovene authors, such as Žarko PetanŽarko Petan
thumb|Žarko PetanŽarko Petan is a Slovenian writer, essayist, screenwriter, and theatre and film director. He is most famous as writer of aphorisms....
and Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor is a Slovene writer from Italy. He is considered to be one of the most influential living authors in the Slovene language and has been nominated for the Nobel prize for literature by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts...
. In her stories, Viktorija Kocman, a Serbian-Slovene author, reflects on the experiences of South-Slavs, who have settled in Austria. A German translation of the poems and essays of the Slovenian poet Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek was a Slovenian poet, writer, essayist, translator, political activist, and resistance fighter. He is considered as one of the best authors who have written in Slovene, and one of the best Slovene poets after Prešeren...
(with an essay of Alojz Rebula
Alojz Rebula
Alojz Rebula is a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist and translator, who lives and works in the Province of Trieste, Italy. He is a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.-Life:...
) should provide valuable insights into the significance of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
poet, who was a member of Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
’s partisan army, but who also distanced himself from the atrocities of the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
massacres and was banned from writing. The publishing house is editing the books of the Slovenian author Boris Pahor: Blumen für einen Aussätzigen, 2004; Die Stadt in der Bucht (2005) and Piazza Oberdan (2008). In her radio plays, Barbara Frischmuth
Barbara Frischmuth
Barbara Frischmuth is an Austrian writer of poetry and prose.She is a member of the Grazer Gruppe , along with Peter Handke.- Books :*Die Klosterschule, 1968...
tells of her encounters with Turk
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
culture. The Chechen
Chechen language
The Chechen language is spoken by more than 1.5 million people, mostly in Chechnya and by Chechen people elsewhere. It is a member of the Northeast Caucasian languages.-Classification:...
-German edition of poems by the emigrated Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
poet Apti Bisultanov
Apti Bisultanov
Apti Bisultanov is a prominent poet of the Chechen Republic. Apti Bisultanov studied philology and worked as a senior lecturer, an editor, a publisher, the Vice-Premier. He was also a guerrilla fighter. For the poem «In Hajbahe written», devoted to victims of Stalin deportation of Chechens, he...
was an act of solidarity with the Chechen people with regard to the genocide and the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe turning a blind eye on Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
’s policies.
Austria’s critical “Heimatliteratur” encompasses the “miniatures” by Engelbert Obernosterer, a system critique by Ingram Hartinger, Wolfgang Pollanz and Günther Freitag, songs by Chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
-singer Barbara Stromberger, as well as essays about the work of Josef Winkler
Josef Winkler (writer)
Josef Winkler is an Austrian writer.- Biography :Winkler was born in Kamering near Paternion in Kärnten. He lived during his childhood in Kärnten, where he went to school, and then to school in Villach. His works often have a Roman Catholic setting. Homosexuality is a central topic in his books....
. The well-known author Bernhard Hütteneger published his childhood memories and a travel book about Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The “Jahrbuch für Literatur Elf” was an attempt to position new authors, such as Olga Flor. With “Ausgegraben” the publisher sought to unearth forgotten authors, such as Max Hölzer, one of the few Austrian Surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
s. The well-known medievalist Peter Dinzelbacher published the voluminous work “Mentalität und Religiosität des Mittelalters” as part of the publisher’s science programme. The fate of the Christian minorities in the far East should be brought to light, especially now that the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
is conducting membership talks with Turkey. Related to this is the publisher’s presentation of relations between Christian Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and European worlds.
The English translation of the history of the “Apostolische Kirche des Ostens” by Wilhelm Baum
Wilhelm Baum
Wilhelm Baum, an Austrian historian, theologian, philosopher and publisher. Born in 1948, Düsseldorf, Germany.- Biography :He studied history, German language and theology in Innsbruck, Rome, Mainz and Tübingen . In 1971 he became a doctor of philosophy and in 1999 in Graz a doctor of theology...
and Dietmar Winkler has already been published by Routledge Curzon Press in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the English translation of Baum’s biography of the Christian queen Shirin
Shirin
Shirin was a wife of the Sassanid Persian Shahanshah , Khosrau II. In the revolution after the death of Khosrau's father Hormizd IV, the General Bahram Chobin took power over the Persian empire. Shirin fled with Khosrau to Syria where they lived under the protection of Byzantine emperor Maurice...
of Persia (+628) was published by Gorgias Press
Gorgias Press
Gorgias Press is an academic publisher of books and journals covering a range of religious and language studies that include Syriac language, Eastern Christianity, Ancient Near East, Arabic and Islam, Early Christianity, Judaism, and more. Gorgias Press was founded in 2001 by George Kiraz, and is...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA (Shirin. Christian – Queen – Myth of love). The Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
translation of Baum’s book “Die Grafen von Görz in der europäischen Politik des Mittelalters” (2nd edition) was published in Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
, Italy. The extensive volume “Kunstwerke sind Stationen auf dem Passionsweg zu einem verlorenen Paradies” was published to support the interdisciplinary discourse between art, literature and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. Letters and documents about the “Nötscher Kreis” (582 pgs and XLVIII boards), which illustrate the works of the painters Sebastian Isepp, Anton Kolig, Franz Wiegele and Anton Mahringer and their encounters with Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. His work is noted for its intensity, and the many self-portraits the artist produced...
, Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka was an Austrian artist, poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes.-Biography:...
, Anton Faistauer, Alfred Kubin
Alfred Kubin
Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism.-Biography:...
, Hugo van Hoffmannsthal, Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.- Biography :...
, Michael Guttenbrunner and Maria Lassnig
Maria Lassnig
Maria Lassnig is an Austrian artist. Her paintings are an exploration of the body, a central theme which she calls "body awareness"....
, also describe the painters’ confrontation with national-socialism and their discourse with the intellectual climate of the time (1st and 2nd edition 2004). The Kitab-Verlag considers the discourse between cultures and the critical confrontation with tribalistic historicism as its ongoing objective.