It sounds a bit odd, a bit confusing, a bit Americanised (or perhaps Hispanicised?), but in any case experimental: even for Beatles fans armed with a dictionary, ‘Luces in the sky[pe]’ remains a mystery. “Highlights in the sky of young Spanish prose”, as the creative paraphrase goes, were brought to the stage of the old "Gründerzeitvilla" at Viktoriapark in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 2010. The event series organised by the Lettrétage literary venue made no secret of its verve: eight young authors from Spain were to be introduced to a German audience.

Regardless of the economic constraints of the book market, excerpts from novels and short stories by young Spanish authors were translated into German for the first time and presented to the Berlin public over eight evenings. And as the title suggests, the format was particularly innovative: each evening featured a video-streamed reading by the author, a reading of the translations by actors, and a discussion with the author via Skype with an interpreter. Knowledge of Spanish was not required.

This journey of discovery through young Spanish literature was idealistic, as it sought to overcome a long-standing problem: translations are expensive, whereas publishing authors from the German-speaking world is considerably cheaper for publishers here. Furthermore, publishers need to be able to calculate the financial risk. Relying on popular, high-selling and ubiquitous names offers greater security. Discovering literature from abroad entirely independently of economic constraints, on the other hand, is increasingly becoming a luxury that, given the high risk involved, often only independent small and micro-publishers can afford. And these often end up in a literary niche. In short: the laws of the literary market dictate mechanisms through which young authors from abroad, in particular, frequently fall behind.

Luces in the Sky[pe] sought to counter this trend, aiming to sharpen the focus on the literary quality especially of young authors through a curated selection: for innovative literary approaches, for new narrative formats, for interdisciplinary hybrid forms that push the boundaries of literature into neighbouring arts and media. And, ultimately, for authors who seek to engage in critical dialogue with discerning readers.

Visitors of the 2010 programme Luces in the sky[pe] at the Lettrétage could look forward to authors who rank among the most significant voices in contemporary Spanish literature and who have received numerous awards in the form of grants and/or literary prizes: Pilar Adón (Madrid, 1971), Álvaro Colomer (Barcelona, 1973), Óscar Esquivias (Burgos, 1972), Pablo Gutiérrez (Cádiz, 1978), Vicente Luis Mora (Córdoba, 1970), Alberto Olmos (Segovia, 1975), Blanca Riestra (La Coruña, 1970) and Óscar Sipán (Huesca, 1974).

The series of events was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Embassy in Berlin, Pro España and the Association of Literary Societies (ALG). Media partners were RBB Kulturradio and the weekly newspaper der Freitag.