Well-known figures of world literature meet new stars: On September 13, we had the pleasure of celebrating two literary highlights at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. With Jeffrey Eugenides and Moshtari Hilal, we welcomed two important voices from different generations.
Reading meets Performance – Book Premiere of Moshtari Hilal’s »Ugliness«
Artist and writer Moshtari Hilal celebrated the long-awaited premiere of her debut “Hässlichkeit” (Ugliness) on September 13, which was published by Hanser in early September. In a sold-out theater, Hilal, together with actress Susana AbdulMajid and Jina Khayyer, explored Instagram noses, plastic surgery and Western ideals of beauty through reading, performance and discussion.
»When you’re a nobody and no-one is waiting for your book, that’s a great way to write« Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides talked about New York cocktail parties, his favorite German words and what Berlin means to him. Actor Franz Dinda read from the German translation of »Virgin Suicides« (German translation by Mechtild Sandberg-Ciletti). Another highlight of the evening was given by Eugenides, who for the first time read an excerpt from his still unpublished novel.
At the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Mark Isaacs, author of »The Kabul Peace House«, talked about Afghan Resilience in Europe.
