July 2024

Our share of happiness

Ron Rash's modern version of Romeo and Juliet, "The Caretaker", about an America in the time of the Korean War, shows both tenderly and mercilessly that the present-day divisions in the USA have always been there

Of course, I am ashamed

In traditional Afghan society, shame has an almost state-supporting function, but in the Afghan diaspora it finds new, no less dramatic ways of expressing itself

A little fear is not quite enough after all

Alexander Kielland Krag's book for young people "Nur ein wenig Angst" (Just a little fear) deals with an important topic with which those affected can easily identify - but there’s scope for a little more daring

Sometimes clouds obscure the view

Fabian Lenthe's poetry collection "Streichhölzer" (Matches) is a fresh take on established and much-prized contemporary poetry, and well worth reading

Nothing is certain: anytime, anywhere

Alhierd Bacharevič's novel "Dogs of Europe" is a kaleidoscope, a hall of mirrors, a rollercoaster, an almost hallucinogenic fantasy. In short: an extraordinary reading experience!

Without fracture there can be no ossification

In "Unequally United", sociologist Steffen Mau examines why East Germany remains different

It's all nonsense here!

Subjective comments on the 48th Days of German-Language Literature 2024 in Klagenfurt

Rain mixed with snowflakes

One of Europe's last great storytellers has died. Ismail Kadaré chronicled a future of a past, with a mastery of language so crystalline it could cut like a scalpel