Austrian Author Giving Voice to the Forgotten – Exclusive Interview with Sophie Reyer

Sophie Anna Reyer is an Austrian author of multiple theater pieces and publications. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Reyer discovered her various profound talents in the arts at a young age as a child prodigy. She is a writer of theater pieces (S. Fischer) and novels (emons) and was shortlisted for the Austrian Book Award in 2019 and 2021.

Sophie Reyer, Author

Please tell us more about you.

Music and language have always been extremely present and incredibly exciting for me. I am constantly reading, and before I could read, I was always looking at picture books. I was already writing my stories back then with a self-created publisher that I called S-Verlag S for Sophie Reyer! My very first wish was to be a detective, but ultimately, I write crime novels now too, so writing is a bit like detective work. This searching and questioning! Another desire I always had was the wish to be a vampire! I'm still very interested in monsters, zombies, and all these fairy tales. Anyway, I was somehow predisposed early on, though never intentionally, or as a plan. I never had that "moment of inspiration" where I suddenly started writing. I always did, and always have. That's why I never questioned it or planned it out. It always existed, quite naturally.

Tell us a bit about your story. How did you build your career until this point?

I was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1984. I started composing music and writing poems at the age of 12, so it was always very clear to me that I wanted to do art. In 2010, I received both the Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theater as well as my Diploma in Scenic Writing at uniT. In 2018, I was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Language Arts and a Screenwriter (KHM Cologne).

My most important prizes include the Literature Promotion Prize of the City of Graz and the Manuscript Promotion Prize. I have written many theatre texts like "vogelglück", "baumleberliebe", "hundpfarrer" and "Anna und der Wulian (Anna and the Wulian)", followed by "Fee Fleder oder fliegen lernen mit Drachen", "Unsichtbare Sterne" and "Erster Schnee" (publisher: S.Fischer). In 2019 and 2021, my novels “Mutter Brennt” and “1431” were shortlisted for the Austrian Book Prize. Currently, I work as a lecturer at Pädagogische Hochschule Baden. I have published 162 books so far.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I love to spend time in nature a lot; that’s where I regain my strength and feel revitalized when I’m tired. But the great thing is that I never have to force myself to write. I’m just like a child who allows itself to play all the time. I think I’m very lucky in that respect.

What is your motto?

As I come from the world of poetry, I would say that my motto is “less is more”. In literature, everything’s about creating space so that language has room to evolve, breathe and blossom.

What is your work inspired by?

My work is very much inspired by music. In my texts, I try to create a unique atmosphere through linguistic compositions. I began my career studying composition for musical theater at “Kunstuniversität Graz”, so I always hear the texts in my head when I write them.

What are your next goal or project?

I am working on a book with filmmaker and writer Wofgang Liemberger and writer and experienced druid Christian Brunner about the “rough nights” and how they are celebrated in Europe. From the dawn of time, the “rough nights” have influenced how religion and spirituality have contemplated the human experience. The following book strives to provide a succinct synopsis of the numerous intriguing facets of these unique days that have accompanied and are with us around the world and throughout a wide range of times. They are unquestionably a part of being human. In this book, my focus is on old Austrian and German legends. I already explored this subject in “111 Orte und ihre Legenden”, which became a Bestseller.

What specific goals/vision do you aim to achieve?

It is important for me to rediscover the life stories of forgotten people, of outsiders, especially women. This being the case, in my novels, I started focusing on the inner lives of long-dead women, such as Joan of Arc or Charlotte de la Rose. I want to take my readers back to the growth, work, resistance, and will of independent women. That’s one aspect. The other is that I love to work with language. I want to create a new way of language, discover and develop a story that is thoughtful yet optimistic and inspires people to follow their inner voice.

What sets (your company name) apart from other services in the industry?

I think there are not that many mainstream writers who focus on forgotten stories and new ways of narration this can range from female to queer stories to those of migrants or so called “mentally ill” people. It’s important for me to give them a voice as well, for it’s like doing some shadow work. At the same time, my language is very musical and poetic, which lends my books a life-affirming, positive and vital touch.

How do you foster connections and support among your audience?

I always answer questions after readings and/or via email. I also conduct creative writing workshops to stay in touch with people; I learn a lot from these experiences, and love it very much.

What would you like the reader to do next?

I would love the readers to dive into the world of my new novel’s protagonist in“Tod bei den Salzburger Festspielen” (Death at the Salzburg Festspiele). In the book, I have strived to describe in gripping language how Else Heims, a historical Jewish woman, lives her life despite all odds; neither the separation from her husband nor the anti-semitism rising around her can harm her, and in the end, she even convicts a murderer! I think I have managed to write a thoughtful yet optimistic book and would love people to read it and be inspired by Else Heims special life story.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Sophie Reyer