Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious festival that brought together literary activists from far and wide… Between the 17th and 21st of October Lettrétage from Berlin together with Michaela Prinzinger invite to readings, discussions and exchange between Greek and German authors and the broader public.
Kicking off with a long reading night from 7 – 11 p.m. at Heimathafen Neukölln the public will get a chance to sample the literature of all the authors, divided on two stages. Invoking the tradition of old rhapsodes you will have the chance to give yourself over to stories, poetic, dramatic and epic, together with fragments of music, and be taken on a odyssey from Berlin to Greece and back again.
The festival was initiated by Michaela Prinzinger with the intent of bringing international focus to contemporary Greek literature. Even though struck by crisis the nations’ literary scene not only persevered but also adapted and evolved, the authors developing new text genres and intermedial forms of presentation, which could be put on the forefront of many literary experimentations not just compared to Germany but also Europe-wide.
As such it is only appropriate that after getting a taste of the invited participants‘ writings we also get to pick their brains a bit, getting to know the concepts and writing strategies behind the individual voices, as well as an insight to the general state of the society and processes involved in the formation of their literature.
Throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th of October the participants of the conference will be doing just that: presenting and debating on various performative and literary influences, materials and formats, political activism and questions regarding race, gender and class in literature, as well as more general topics of mediating and presenting literature between different languages and cultures. At the end of each day at 7 p.m., the participants of the individual panels will also have readings, where the public can get to know them and their writing even more in depth. For more detail on the panel topics and which participants will be involved, consult the program of the festival.
The symposium and evening readings will be held at Lettrétage (Mehringdamm 61). Should you want to attend the discussions throughout the days, please register via e-mail at syn-energy [at] lettretage.de. If you have any questions do not hesitate to directly contact Michaela Prinzinger and Linde Nadiani. The best part is – all events are free, so don’t be shy to come by, listen, participate and get to know contemporary Greek and German literature!
For interested authors, translators, organizers or persons wanting to get in touch or network with the invited participants in a more relaxed and informal setting, the festival will also offer a “Café” at Lettrétage (Mehringdamm 61) between 10 a.m. and noon on the 21st of October.
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