“Quirky
and
grandiose”
(Der Spiegel)
In 2022, Stefanie Sargnagel reluctantly swaps her comfortable Viennese sofa for a plane ticket to the USA. In Iowa, she is to teach creative writing at a small college in the middle of nowhere – a small town of 8,000 inhabitants, surrounded by nothing but endless cornfields. She is initially accompanied by music legend and feminist utopian Christiane Rösinger, and together they set out to explore the nothingness. They find bad food, overweight, friendly locals, vultures and even an old nostalgic yearning for the times of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. Simply “that special combination of misery, wasteland, fast food and sunsets behind petrol stations.” Stefanie Sargnagel’s view of the USA is as unique as her writing; uncompromising, sarcastic and ruthlessly honest and her novel “Iowa” tells of the American wasteland of the Midwest and the vital importance of friendships in her characteristic style.
Stefanie Sargnagel studied painting under Daniel Richter at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but spent more time at her day job in the call centre, the reason being: “Whenever my professor Daniel Richter turns up at art student parties, everyone suddenly behaves as if God is talking to his disciples. I never know how to deal with this, because I am God.” She has been a freelance author for several years. In 2016, she received the audience award in the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize competition and in 2022 the jury prize of the Prix Pantheon. Her two books “Statusmeldungen” and “Dicht” were bestsellers, and “Statusmeldungen” has been adapted for the big screen.
Stefanie Sargnagel has been associated with asphalt for many years: Her theatre plays “JA, EH!” and “HEIL. Eine energetische Reinigung” were shown at the festival in 2019 and 2023. Last year, she read excerpts from her pointed, satirical social media posts on the Seebühne in an incredibly entertaining way, spiced with her famous sharp and witty humour.
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What the press says:
“As with any good journey, at the end you don’t understand exactly when and how the weeks have passed. Weren’t you just on the plane to Chicago? The impressions, the sentences, the people blur, but what you will remember is, that it was a good time.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
“Not one thing is trivial, no place remains boring when it has passed through the pen of Stefanie Sargnagel.” (Stern)
“Lovingly mocking, never arrogant, very laconic, quite wicked and very funny.” (NDR Kultur)
“‘Iowa’ is one of the funniest, cleverest and best things the book market has produced in recent weeks.” (Welt am Sonntag)
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by and with Stefanie Sargnagel
