Ilse Helbich

Ilse Helbich, born in 1923 in Vienna, has been living in Kamptal and Vienna since the 1980ies. She studied German, worked as a publicist on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s biography among other things and wrote many radio features and columns for Die Presse (Austrian daily newspaper).

At the age of 80, she wrote her first novel, the autobiographical Schwalbenschrift (Swallow’s Script). This late debut was followed by the volumes of stories and memories Iststand (As-Is State, 2007), Das Haus (The House, 2009), Fremde (Foreign Parts, 2010), Grenzland Zwischenland (Border Zone In-Between Zone, 2012), Vineta (Vineta, 2013) and Schmelzungen (Meltings, 2015).