Can you name at least five famous German authors? Done? Now, how many of them are still alive and publishing? Difficult, isn’t it? The same questions asked about Italian literature in a German environment would have completely different outcomes.

This was the thread of the conversation between Berlin-based Italian novelist and translator Vincenzo Latronico and German critic Anna Vollmer, who overlaid a critical discussion of Italian writers Elena Ferrante and Michela Murgia with commentary on the international dynamic between Italy and Germany.

Indeed, German criticism of Italian literature dates back several decades and is almost completely free of Anglo-Saxon influence. On the other hand, Italy has not developed the same interest in German literature and the Italian public becomes aware of good German authors only after they have made it in the UK or the US. Therefore, Vollmer and Latronico insisted on sharing some “must haves” from the current German literary scene: Clemens J. Setz (Austrian but German-speaking) and Jenny Erpenbeck.

Germany's interest in Italian literature is unfortunately fuelled by stereotypes and clichéd interpretations of Italy. An Italian novel is more likely to become a best-seller in Germany if it portrays the small 1950s rural village inhabited solely by half-witchy grannies who have never see a smartphone in their lives. And more often than not, the most popular authors and tropes are almost unknown in Italy.

The stereotype's power is so strong in deciding an author’s success, Vollmer stated, that German readers never “devoured” Michela Murgia’s works because they didn't conform to expectations. The perception and enjoyment of Italian literature in Germany is stuck somewhere in the 70s, when dialogue was easier because people communicated more easily in each other languages and without using English. And, of course, the exotic note readers seek is still the same and continues to be mostly popular with an over-65 audience. There could be so much potential on both sides, but the opportunities to meet are no longer the same, and they will never be the same.