Love them or not, birthdays are unavoidable, not only ours but our uncles and aunts, parents and lovers, grandmas and grandpas, friends who don’t want to get older and children who can’t wait to. This book even considers people who flee to the ends of the earth (or the next bar) at the mere mention of a birthday party, as well as the chosen few with birthdays on 29 February, 1 May or New Year’s Eve or people already reborn a few times. Twenty-five contemporary authors have brought gifts: unusual, touching and unbelievable ‘birthday presents’. Reason enough to celebrate. With short stories by Polly Adler, Ela Angerer, Bettina Baláka, Ruth Cerha, Friedrich Dönhoff, Petra Hartlieb, Monika Held, Peter Henisch, Wolfgang Hermann, Margarita Kinstner, Elisabeth Klar, Edith Kneifl, Konrad Paul Liessmann, Heidi List, Klaus Nüchtern, Klaus Oppitz, Kurt Palm, Verena Petrasch, Eva Rossmann, Tex Rubinowitz, David Schalko, Susanne Scholl, Dirk Stermann, Cornelia Travnicek, Anna Weidenholzer and lyrics by the band Gustav.