Primarily, Karl-Markus Gauß writes essays. One of his main topics are ethnic minorities, some of which aren't sometimes known to the readers even by their name, such as the Aromanians,[6]Roma,[7]Arbëreshë and the Sephardim.[8] Other important topics are Central and South Eastern Europe. Gauß visited these countries on several occasions, usually jointly with the photographer Kurt Kaindl.
His cultural reports and essays describe cultural encounters and intellectual exchanges with the writers of those countries, but also with people "like me and you", on the streets and in pubs. Gauß uses his books very often to present and promote writers from Central and Eastern Europe, who are relatively unknown in Austria and Germany.
Literary prizes and awards
1987 International Prize of Portorož for Essays
1988 State Subsidy for Literature by the Austrian Department of Education and Cultural Affairs
1989 Buchprämie des Bundesministeriums für Unterricht und Kunst
1992 Subsidy for Literature by the City of Salzburg
1994 Buchprämie des Bundesministeriums für Unterricht und Kunst
1994 Österreichischer Staatspreis für Kulturpublizistik[3]
1997 European Essay Prize Charles Veillon for Das Europäische Alphabet
1998 Bruno-Kreisky-Preis for the Political Book for Ins unentdeckte Österreich[3]
2001 Award of the Austrian Book Sellers for Tolerant Thinking and Acting[3]
Die Hundeesser von Svinia. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 2004 ISBN3-552-05292-5
Von nah, von fern. Ein Jahresbuch. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 2003 ISBN3-552-05286-0
Mit mir, ohne mich. Ein Journal. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 2002 ISBN3-552-05181-3
Die sterbenden Europäer. Unterwegs zu den Sepharden von Sarajevo, Gottscheer Deutschen, Arbëreshe, Sorben und Aromunen. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 2001 ISBN3-552-05158-9
Der Mann, der ins Gefrierfach wollte. Albumblätter. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 1999 ISBN3-552-04936-3
Ins unentdeckte Österreich. Nachrufe und Attacken. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 1998 ISBN3-552-04878-2
Das europäische Alphabet. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 1997 ISBN3-552-04827-8
^In one single interview, Gauß by joke characterized himself to be an independent scholar. The interviewer, not being aware of this allusion to exactly same statement made by some Lenin, quite a while earlier, wrote so, and Gauß' statement ever since became repeated by other journalists, not being aware either.
^"Karl-Markus Gauß". Munzinger Biographie (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2021.