The National Literature Centre ( lb, Lëtzebuerger Literaturarchiv, french: Centre national de littérature), abbreviated CNL, is the national literary archive of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. It is based in the town of

Mersch Mersch ( ) is a commune and town in central Luxembourg, capital of the canton of Mersch. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Alzette, Mamer and Eisch. , the town of Mersch, which lies in the centre of the commune, has a population o ...

, about 15 kilometers to the north of

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...

. Created as a

research library A research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects.(Young, 1983; p. 188) A research library will generally include an in-depth selection of materials on a particular topic or set of to ...

in 1995, the CNL's collections include more than 40,000 volumes, a majority of them written by authors of Luxembourgish descent or residing in Luxembourg, as well as an ever-growing collection of manuscripts, letters and personal items. The library also collects newspaper clippings relating to Luxembourgish literature and literary journals and serials. As one of Luxembourg's legal deposit libraries, it receives copies of nearly all books produced in Luxembourg and actively purchases monographs by Luxembourgish authors printed abroad.

Historical background

In 1995, the CNL was created as a part of the Luxembourg national archives. The idea was to assemble all documents relating to the literary life in Luxembourg, both contemporary and historical, in a single place and thus to create a focal point for literary researchers. In addition to encouraging and facilitating research, the CNL also promotes contemporary literary output, by organising exhibitions, conferences, reading sessions and various events relating to literature in Luxembourg. Since 2005, the CNL is a fully-fledged independent cultural institute. The literary center is housed in the Maison Servais, a large 17th-century mansion which once belonged to the Luxembourgish politician

Emmanuel Servais Lambert Joseph Emmanuel Servais (11 April 1811 – 17 June 1890) was a Luxembourg politician. He held numerous offices of national importance, foremost amongst which was in serving as the fifth Prime Minister of Luxembourg, for seven years, fr ...

. The last inhabitant of the mansion, Jeanne Servais, donated the house to the town of Mersch. The premises were then handed over to the State of Luxembourg, who renovated the house and installed the Centre national de littérature in it. The main building now houses five exhibition rooms, the library, a reading room, researchers' and administrative offices and two conference rooms. A newly erected second building houses the literary café, which is used for various literary get-togethers. Both buildings are flanked by a public park. The CNL's premises are currently undergoing extension. In early 2008, the adjacent building, which is now being renovated, will house a part of the archives' storage and office facilities.

Access to the collections

The CNL's collections can be consulted by researchers and students as well as interested members of the public. It is however not a general

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, but rather a research library specializing in Luxemburgensia. A range of Luxembourgish newspapers and reference works such as dictionaries and encyclopedias can be freely accessed in the reading room. The library's catalogue can be consulted on the Luxembourg National Library's integrated catalogue, which is based on the commercial Integrated Library Syste
Aleph
The library also offers other specialised catalogues and research services.

Exhibitions

The CNL regularly organises exhibitions which often display manuscripts or other precious items from the archives' funds to the general public. The exhibitions deal with Luxembourgish literary life in the broadest sense, and often highlight cultural exchanges between Luxembourgish and German or French authors. d. Centre national de littérature: ''10 Joer CNL: 1995 - 2005''. Mersch: Centre national de littérature. 2005

Exhibition catalogues

*Hôtes de Colpach. 1997 *Kontakte, Kontexte. 1999 *Lëtzebuergesch - "eng Ried déi vun allen am meeschten em ons klengt". 2000 *Un défi - 20 ans d'éditions Phi. 2001 *De Michel Rodange 'Op en Neis fotografëert'. 2002 (incl. CD) *Choc et vision. 2005

Literary research

Apart from helping other researchers in their work, the CNL also does its own literary research. It regularly publishes exhibition catalogues, essays on Luxembourgish literature and scholarly re-editions of important works by Luxembourgish authors. A list of the CNL's publications shows that the institute's research tries to reflect the ample use of each of the country's three national languages, namely Luxembourgish, French and German.

Nei Lëtzebuerger Bibliothéik

In this series (which, in English, means: ''New Luxembourgish Library'') are published commented re-editions of Luxembourgish literary works. The aim is to give the reader an insight into the life and work of an author, an understanding of the times in which the work was written and a bibliography which enables further research. As of 2007, thirteen volumes have been published: *

Michel Rodange Michel Rodange (3 January 1827 – 27 August 1876) was a Luxembourgish writer and poet, best known for writing Luxembourg's national epic, ''Reynard, Renert'' ull original title: ''Renert oder de Fuuß am Frack an a Ma'nsgrëßt''Félix Thyes Félix Thyes (19 January 1830 – 8 May 1855) was a Luxembourg writer. He is recognized as the first Luxembourg author to write a novel in French. ''Marc Bruno, profil d'artiste'' was published shortly after his death in 1855. He was also the first ...

: Marc Bruno *

Nik Welter Nikolaus “Nik” Welter (2 January 1871, Mersch – 13 July 1951, Luxembourg City) was a Luxembourgish writer, playwright, poet, professor, literary critic (Germanic and Romance languages), and statesman. He wrote predominantly in German langu ...

: Lene Frank * Edmond de la Fontaine: Mumm Séis/Mutter Suse * Paul Palgen: Choix de poèmes * Nikolaus Hein: Der Verräter * Isi Comes: 7 Erzielongen * Alexander Weicker: Fetzen *

Batty Weber Batty (Jean-Baptiste) Weber (1860–1940) is considered to have been one of Luxembourg's most influential journalists and authors, contributing much to the development of the country's national identity. His style is characterized by his sense of h ...

: Fenn Kass * Joseph Funck: Kleines Schicksal * Pol Michels: Choix de textes *

Antoine Meyer Antoine Meyer, also known as Antun or Tun Meyer (1801–1857) was a Luxembourg-born mathematician and poet who later adopted Belgian nationality. Sometimes referred to as the father of Luxembourgish literature, he is remembered for publishing the ...

: E Schréck op de Lëtzebuerger Parnassus (incl. CD) * Frantz Clement: Zickzack

Bibliographie courante

This annual bibliography is a compilation of all books and articles written in Luxembourg or abroad on the literary production in Luxembourg, including such areas as theatre and linguistics.

References

External links

Official site
{{authority control Luxembourgian literature Mersch

1995 in Luxembourg