The English royal family retired to Windsor Castle in the corona crisis. During the plague in the 17th century, the royals went to Oxford. Here, in beautiful Oxford, the Ottobrunn writer Laura Theis (34) has lived with her life partner for many years and wins one literary award after another in English.
Ottobrunn / Oxford - How does she do that without English as a mother tongue? Most recently, she won the £ 10,000 Mogford Prize for the most beautiful short story.
You have already applied to this competition several times, what were the topics and how could you achieve a spot landing now?
Yes, it was the third time I had submitted a story for this award. The theme is the same every year: eating and drinking. This is because the founder of the Literature Award, Jeremy Mogford, runs several hotels and restaurants in Oxford and wanted to combine his love of literature and good food and drink with the award. The guest jury changes every year, this year it was Stephen Fry and Prue Leith. Typically, the four shortlisted authors are invited to a banquet in one of these Oxford restaurants, where the winner is announced
Is it different in corona times?
Yes, of all things. But the award has brought me luck once before: I submitted a story that I had actually written for the Mogford Prize two years ago to another literary competition and thus won a writing stay in Provence. That may also be a nice motivation for other authors, where not everything works out immediately. It is worthwhile to keep trying and submitting.
Where do you get the inspiration from?
I think the core idea for my story has been bubbling within me for a long time. When I was a student, I lived in an apartment on the top floor and used the elevator every day, and sometimes I imagined what it would be like to get stuck and how this could result in a dramatic situation. Dreams - real or just daydreams - are often a good source of ideas.
What happens in your short story?
The story is called "The Lift". The main character is a stalker who has spied on his young neighbor Elsie in the supermarket and has come up with a plan for how she can seduce her with her favorite food in the elevator. However, his plan goes completely wrong when a third person suddenly comes into play. You can read the story for free on the Mogford Prize website. A comment on the story that made me smile was, "It reminds us that some lockdowns are worse than others."
Where does your love for these literary pieces come from and where do you get your vocabulary as a non-Englishwoman?
I think that's because I've loved reading so much myself, all my life, and the literature I've devoured has been mostly English-language for years, and that's how I get it when I write !
What are the advantages of this award in addition to the endowment?
The story was published online. An audio version of a professional actor will also be added soon. In addition, my story, along with the three stories on the shortlist, is printed in a booklet that is distributed to hotel guests in all rooms at Mogford hotels. The award ceremony banquet has been postponed indefinitely due to the Coroana crisis. But if it does take place, I would be very happy to meet Stephen Fry. I've been a huge fan of his for years. It's also such a nice feeling when you suddenly have black and white that someone you admire likes something you've written. In the beginning I couldn't believe it for a long time. The endowment itself gives me time for carefree writing, which is really wonderful, especially in this uncertain time. A friend of mine said the prize money is kind of like a book advance, but I can write whatever I want. And what really pleased me was the nice news and congratulations calls from friends, acquaintances and relatives from different corners of the world from Istanbul to Arizona who read the story. That meant a lot to me, especially in times of corona isolation.
Do you have other competitions in mind? If not, what are you currently working on?
In addition to short stories, I love poems and am currently working on my first small volume of poems, which should be published this year by Dempsey & Windle Verlag. I was lucky again to win a competition, the Brian Dempsey Memorial Prize. The publication is part of the price.
