Anton is Jewish, Alma is not. They love each other, argue, and reconcile – until the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, tears open an abyss that calls everything into question. Michelle escapes the poverty of eastern Germany, only to find poorly paid shift work at a hotel reception
How does the smartphone change our perception? And what happens when we suddenly find ourselves without this thing that has become almost a bodily extension of ourselves? Ben Lerner’s new novel «Transcription», about a bizarre interview and its strange consequences, «shows how the media shape our lives down to the
Chicken farms in France, a young butcher in a small Finnish town, an idealistic purveyor of fine meats in the Netherlands. Three new European novels stage the act of slaughter: as ecological dystopia, as a reckoning with the meat industry, as an exploration of sensual awakening. Munir Hachemi, Mariia Niskavaara,
«Literatur hinter Gittern» is an annual series organized by the ILB that brings renowned authors and their works into Berlin’s correctional facilities. This year’s edition focuses on the topics of globalization and precarious labor conditions in the delivery industry. Tomer Gardi’s latest novel »Liefern« humorously tells the stories of those
Post-Socialist Narratives with Tatiana Țîbuleac and Ena Katarina Haler Mila was an academic in Moldova; in Paris, she is wanted at best as a housecleaner. Iris returns to her Yugoslav home village, where she navigates her youth on deserted streets, amid the rubble of war. In their novels, Tatiana Țîbuleac
Community Night Come on in My Kitchen! The kitchen is a place of encounters, intimate conversations, and understanding. Four Berlin-based authors from the Indian community offer insights into their work. Afterward, Jeet Thayil, together with a local bookseller, invites them to the ‹kitchen table›, to talk about Berlin, life, and
When places carry no history, when time has no dates, and people have no names. Through glances and gestures, through the changing of the seasons, Adania Shibli tells the story of two young people in Palestine in her long-awaited new novel: of their pain and disillusionment, of failed peace plans
Aya Jaff, Fritz Espenlaub, Wolfgang Ullrich The tech elite dreams of a lean state, experiments with AI, and turns politics into memes. What once seemed like a fringe phenomenon is rapidly gaining influence. Tech-bro experts Aya Jaff and Fritz Espenlaub explore together with cultural theorist Wolfgang Ullrich whether we are
Pakistan is in a state of emergency. Sabiha has a gun and flees a murder charge when she takes refuge at Sir Baghi’s language school and discovers a passion for writing. Captain Gul, meanwhile, is confronted with an illegitimate child and rebellious protesters. Mohammed Hanif is among the writers redefining
Mapuche-Literature in the Cities Her texts weave indigenous vocabularies and cosmologies into tropical fever dreams about colonialism, capitalism, and what comes after: Daniela Catrileo finds words in Mapudungun whose meanings are hard to render in other languages. With «Piñen» (Tr: Jacob Edelstein) and «Chilco» (Tr: Jacob Edelstein) she presents two
Even before her visit to the Humboldt Forum and the collections of the Ethnological Museum, Hawaiian author Noʻu Revilla was led to Berlin by a clear desire: to meet the kiʻi (sacred figure) of Kihawahine, one of the most powerful deities in Hawaiian history. Without knowing that the kiʻi would
Anthony Joseph & Diego Piñera First, they perform, then they talk about it. Accompanied by Diego Piñera, bandleader of the ‹ILB House Band›, on drums, Anthony Joseph offers a window into his work: Caribbean calypso, poetry, and magic woven into streams of rhythm. Afterward, the conversation turns to what was
