Leidenfrost, Martin

Martin Leidenfrost, winner of the 5,000 euro prize, was born in Lower Austria in 1972 and has been living in Devinska Nová Ves in Slovakia, close to the Austrian border, for three years. In his "stories from the area" he describes "the world behind Vienna" which - as he says - is "split up into four states, four official languages and dozens of ethnic groups" and is only gradually "healing the scars of the Iron Curtain". With his stories he wants to help provide a direct experience and better understanding of Central Europe. His articles were published from October 2006 to September 2007 in "Spectrum", the Saturday supplement of the Austrian newspaper "Die Presse".