Blumenbar Verlag GmbH&Co KG is a small avantgarde publishing house in Germany. ''Blumenbar'' is German for "bar of flowers", alluding its beginnings in the Blumenstraße close to the
Viktualienmarkt
The Viktualienmarkt is a food market and a square in the center of Munich, Germany. With the exception of Sundays and holidays, it has been held daily since 1807.
The Viktualienmarkt developed from an original farmers' market to a popula ...
in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in 2002. The two founders, Lars Birken-Bertsch and Wolfgang Farkas, publish non-mainstream authors such as
Matias Faldbakken
Matias Faldbakken (born 1973 in Hobro, Denmark) is a Norwegian artist and writer. Faldbakken studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen and the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. He is the son of the author Knut Faldbakken and broth ...
or
Tracey Emin
Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...
. The graphic design of the books (by Chrish Klose) is especially noted. In 2009, Blumenbar moved to
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. Since March 2012, Blumenbar has continued as an imprint of the Berlin-based
Aufbau-Verlag
Aufbau Verlag is a German publisher. It was founded in Berlin in 1945 and became the biggest publisher in East Germany (GDR). During that time it specialised in Socialist literature, socialist and Russian literature.
Aufbau Verlag (officially s ...
.
History
Blumenbar emerged from the literary salon of the same name, which the two founders had been organizing since 1997 in their apartment at Blumenstrasse 3 in Munich and at changing locations. A decisive factor in the founding of the publishing house was the formation of the ''Blumenbar Club'', a community interested in literature and culture. In 2002, members received a keychain with the publisher's logo upon payment of a minimum membership fee of 50
euros
The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
. The keychain entitled members to reduced admission to Blumenbar events. The money raised through the campaign helped finance the beginnings of the publishing house.
Blumenbar subsequently developed into one of the best-known and most influential labels in the recent publishing scene. From 2006, the publishing house was operated as a limited partnership. In 2008, a venture capitalist bought in. Blumenbar belonged to the group of independent publishers. The program, which focused on contemporary German-language and international literature, stood for a crossover of literature, art, pop culture, club culture and sociopolitical issues.
At the beginning of 2012, the Blumenbar brand was sold to Aufbau Verlagsgruppe. Publishing responsibility for the repositioned Blumenbar Verlag was assumed by Aufbau managing director René Strien until his departure. Today, publishing responsibility lies with Aufbau publishing director Gunnar Cynybulk, who brought Monika Zeiner and Bov Bjerg to the publishing house, among others.
At the end of October 2022, it was announced that Blumenbar publishing house founders Wolf Farkas and Lars Birken-Bertsch had sold the extensive publishing house archive from 1997 to 2012 to ''Monacensia'' (the City of Munich's literature and research archive).
Authors
Among the authors in original german language are: Matthias Hirth, FX Karl, Olaf Kraemer,
Tom Kummer
Tom Kummer (born 14 January 1961) is a Swiss journalist who published numerous celebrity profiles in Germany and Switzerland.Kniebe, Tobias.Im Kino: 'Bad Boy Kummer', 'Warum darf ich kein Dichter sein?", ''Süddeutsche Zeitung''. May 6, 2011. Kumm ...
, Hans-Peter Kunisch,
PeterLicht
PeterLicht is a German electropop musician and author from Cologne signed with the record label Motor Music, best known for his 2001 single Sonnendeck.
Discography
All English translations are unofficial.
Albums and EPs
* 6 Lieder (2000, B ...
, Thomas Palzer, Jasmin Ramadan, Walter Rufer, Alexander Schimmelbusch, Carmen Stephan, Alexander Wallasch, Raul Zelik and Anne Zielke.
International translated authors are:
Paul Beatty
Paul Beatty (born June 9, 1962) is an American author and professor of writing at Columbia University.Zaza Burchuladze,
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
, Erin Cosgrove,
Tracey Emin
Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...
,
Matias Faldbakken
Matias Faldbakken (born 1973 in Hobro, Denmark) is a Norwegian artist and writer. Faldbakken studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen and the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. He is the son of the author Knut Faldbakken and broth ...
,
Sebastian Horsley
Sebastian Horsley (born Marcus A. Horsley; 8 August 1962 – 17 June 2010) was an English artist and writer. Horsley's writing often revolved around his dysfunctional family, his flamboyant and eccentric behavior, his drug addictions, sex, and ...
,
Leena Krohn
Leena Krohn (born 28 February 1947, in Helsinki) is a Finnish author. Her large and varied body of work includes novels, short stories, children's books, and essays. In her books she deals with topics that include humans' relationships with themse ...
, Alban Lefranc,
Paulo Lins
Paulo Lins (born January 11, 1958, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian author.
Lins grew up in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil ...
,
Richard Milward
Richard Milward (born 26 October 1984 in Middlesbrough) is an English novelist. His debut novel ''Apples (novel), Apples'' was published by Faber in 2007. He has also written ''Ten Storey Love Song,'' ''Kimberly's Capital Punishment,'' and '' ...
,
Murathan Mungan
Murathan Mungan (born 21 April 1955) is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet.
Biography
Mungan's family originates from Mardin.
His father is an Arab and mother is a Bosniak. After receiving his BA from the Faculty of L ...
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prom ...