(K)ein Raum für Worte /
(لا) مكان للأدب

The oppressive confinement of a cell … the lonely cold of a foreign land - prison and exile hardly seem suitable as a starting point for art and beautiful literature. Despite or perhaps because of all the adversities, both spaces are an integral part of modern Arab art and culture.

In a bilingual reading (Arabic/German), the Syrian authors Faraj Bayrakdar and Abdullah Alqaseer will present excerpts from a prison novel and examples of Arabic exile literature in Germany. The discussion (Arabic/German/English), moderated by Björn Bentlage, will provide space and time for questions, reactions and comments.

With literary translations by Larissa Bender and Leila Chammaa. The translated texts will be read by Anna Gesa-Raija Lappe from the Münchner Kammerspiele ensemble.

Faraj Bayrakdar is a Syrian poet and author of two prison novels.

Abdullah Alqaseer is a Syrian author and cultural worker in Germany.

Björn Bentlage is a research assistant at the LMU.