KiJuBu dedicates festival focus to Christine Nöstlinger

KiJuBu, a children’s and young adult book festival, is dedicating a programme focus to Austrian author Christine Nöstlinger, with more than 90 events planned in St. Pölten from November 8 to 13, ORF reported.

The focus marks the 90th birthday of Nöstlinger, who lived from 1936 to 2018. Readings, workshops and discussions will introduce her work to a new generation of young readers, organisers said. Festival director Christoph Mauz and actor Ines Schiller are among those scheduled to take part in readings.

A KiJuBuTAG for families is being held on Saturday. A separate school event on September 23 at the Museum Niederösterreich, a museum, explored Nöstlinger’s writing with authors Heinz Janisch and Hubert Hladej, and literary scholar Heidi Lexe.

“Her stories were clever, humorous, challenging and always on equal terms with young readers,” Mauz said. He added that Nöstlinger’s work had a lasting influence on his own writing.

The festival programme also includes workshops, picture-book cinema and stage performances for different age groups. Events include a reading discovery tour by Zeit Punkt Lesen, a workshop by the Lower Austrian State Theatre on The Neverending Story, the acrobatic concert TempoS and the dance theatre piece Bats.

The St. Pölten City Museum will host KiJuBu for the first time. It brings the festival to 10 venues in the state capital, including the Museum Niederösterreich, the Former Synagogue, the Children’s Art Laboratory, the Lower Austrian State Library, the Festspielhaus, the Lower Austrian State Theatre, the ORF regional studio, Bühne im Hof and the city library.

Festival organiser Monika Schaar-Willomitzer said St. Pölten would once again become a lively city of books. KiJuBu has brought children and young people together with authors for more than two decades and aims to inspire an interest in literature.