Bettina Balàka
Bettina Balàka is an Austrian novelist, poet, essayist, playwright and short story writer. Recent novels include Eisflüstern, Kassiopeia and Unter Menschen.
Biography
Born on 27 March 1966 in Salzburg, Balàka studied English and Italian at the Institut für Übersetzer- und Dolmetscherausbildung in Vienna, earning a master's degree in 1991. Her studies included extended trips to Britain and the United States. She has since worked as a freelance writer and translator in Vienna. In addition to her novels, poetry, drama and radio plays, Balàka has frequently contributed to literary journals and anthologies. She lives with her daughter in Vienna.Her novel Eisflüstern, the story of a soldier returning from war, is one of the few Austrian thrillers set during the turning point of the First World War with the collapse of the Austrian Habsburgs and the establishment of a new republic. Unter Menschen is a humorous yet sad tale tracing a dog's experiences of a series of different owners. Die Prinzessin von Arborio tells how a restaurant owner who has committed three murders is interrogated by a psychologist who falls in love with her. The Austrian newspaper Kurier quotes the author's explanation: "I am a very curious person. That's why I'm always looking for new themes. In Die Prinzessin von Arborio I've chosen criminal psychology, hybristophilia, and falling in love as the 'most beautiful form of psychosis'."
Awards
Balàka's many awards include the Salzburger Lyrikpreis und the Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis.