Claudio Magris is Professor of Dutch Language and Lite- rature at the University of Trieste. He is the author of ma- ny stories and novels and also the writer of a series of essays on motives and traditions, in particular in Europe- an literary culture. He was born in Trieste shortly before the Second World War and still lives there. It is the cos- mopolitan capital of his work. His book Microcosmi is a collection of impressions, landscapes, memories and anecdotes about the area around Trieste, where the peo- ple have become confused about contemporary history and no longer know who they are because of the con- stantly changing borders and different regimes. In his ob- servations of this torn Central European society, an “iro- nic identity”, an identity without force and conventions, has a central place. While journalists, political scientists and historians go in search of the causes and conse- quences, as well as conclusive declarations for the crisis in Central Europe, Magris is particularly interested in the precise observations of the existing contrasts and simila- rities. In turn, this interpretation leads to new contradicti- ons. The theme of the border, border crossings, blurred borders, both in an individual and in a national sense, constantly recurs in his work in different ways and ima- ges. The Sikkens Foundation not only awarded the prize to Magris for his literary “use of color”, but also for his contribution to the exploration of the cultural landscape of Europe and its signifcance for the European debate on identity. By awarding the Sikkens Prize to IBA Emscher Park and Claudio Magris in 1999, the Sikkens Foundati- on wanted to both draw attention and make a contributi- on to the European debate on cultural identity, which is still not suffciently explored and remains far behind the attention which is devoted to political and economic coo- peration. Download text as pdf