Matthias Gruber

Matthias Gruber

Born in Vienna in 1984, he grew up in Salzburg, where he now lives with his family. He studied theatre studies and worked as a receptionist, in online marketing and in an emergency shelter. He is co-founder of the Salzburg city magazines ‘fraeuleinflora.at’ and ‘QWANT’. His debut novel ‘Die Einsamkeit der Ersten ihrer Art’ (The Loneliness of the First of Their Kind) immediately won the Rauris Literature Prize.

The loneliness of the first of her kind

She is fourteen and would like to be like other girls. But Ariell has hardly any hair on her head and something is wrong with her teeth. She spends her afternoons with her father in the homes of the deceased, clearing them out and separating usable items from the rubbish. A book that flies the flag for literature on the rubbish heap of our present day and is adorable and heart-warmingly funny.

Photo: © Miriam Kreiseder