beitragsbild

Books to Read in the Age of Trump

Books to Read in the Age of Trump

A Roundtable and Discussion on Four Novels That Explain Our Times

18.05.2019, 18:00 Uhr

Hessisches Literaturforum im Mousonturm e.V.


Life today appears ever more challenging, politically, economically, and ecologically, and reading often figures in it only as escape: a way to think about more personal problems at best, and often a way to just spend a few idle hours away from daily troubles. But literature can be more: it can help explain and make sense. In this roundtable, four professional readers offer their suggestions for books to read to understand life in the “age of Trump,” an age of upheavals, from populist election victories from Hungary to Brazil, to Brexit and resurgent nationalisms, from climate change to the increasing economic fragility of personal lives. They ask, and ask to discuss, what the point is of reading in such an age of anxieties, and what novels best help us navigate our unstable times.

With Johannes Völz (University of Frankfurt), Sascha Seiler (University of Mainz), Tim Lanzendörfer (University of Mainz) and Merve Emre (University of Oxford). They will discuss the following books: ‚The Names‘ (1982) by Don DeLillo, ‚Amalgamemnon‘ (1984) by Christine Brooke-Rose, ‚Hillbilly Elegy‘ (2016) by J.D. Vance and ‚Motherhood‘ (2018) by Sheila Heti.

The discussion is part of the conference „Reading in the Age of Trump“ and will be held in English.

Eintritt: 7,-/4,- (VVK)| 8,-/5,- (AK)

Zum Tod von Harry Oberländer

Das Hessische Literaturforum im Mousonturm e.V. trauert um seinen langjährigen Mitarbeiter und Leiter Harry Oberländer, der 73-jährig in Bad Karlshafen verstorben ist. Einen Nachruf auf Harry Oberländer finden Sie hier.