Once a month, the Goethe-Institut Toronto invites the author or translator of a recent work relevant to German-Canadian topics for an evening of conversation, debate and questions from the audience. Watch the recordings of these conversations here.
Steven Press & Carter West "Blood and Diamonds: Germany's Imperial Ambitions in Africa"
We were delighted to host Steven Press for the February edition of "In Conversation". His most book, "Blood and Diamonds: Germany's Imperial Ambitions in Africa", is a remarkable history of state-sanctioned violence and the quest for conflict diamonds in Namibia. In this video, Professor Press delivers a presentation of his research and work and responds to questions of why Germany's colonial history is so poorly misapprehended.
Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia & Lee Suksi "The Son of the House"
We were thrilled to welcome Giller Prize nominee Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia to Toronto in November. She spoke with Lee Suksi, author of LAMBDA winner The Nerves, about her novel The Son of the House. We were thrilled to host the authors in the beautiful East Room.
Carole Angier & Carter West "Speak Silence: In Search of W.G. Sebald"
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of W.G. Sebald's sudden death on an English road, we spoke with author Carole Angier about her new biography, Speak Silence: In Search of W.G. Sebald. In the course of the interview, we discuss some of the controversy surrounding Sebald's work and the accusations of appropriation of Jewish lives in his fictions.
The Goethe-Institut Toronto was delighted to host award-winning authors Colm Tóibín & Susan Bernofsky for a conversation about Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain and Tóibín's new book The Magician.
Prof. Frank Uekötter & Carter West "The Greenest Nation?"
In his 2014 book, "The Greenest Nation?", Frank Uekötter offered an overview of the evolution of German environmentalism since the late nineteenth century. At the end of August 2021, he sat down with the Goethe-Insitut Toronto discuss the way German environmentalism has changed over the past decade.
Dr. Jennifer Jenkins & Ralph Bollmann "Angela Merkel: The chancellor and her time"
Senior Fellow Dr. Jennifer Jenkins will interview author Ralph Bollmann to discuss his recently published book - an authoritative account of Angela Merkel's time in power in Germany.
Olúmìdé Pópóọlá & Jordan Tanahill "When We Speak of Nothing"
Nigerian-German author Olúmìdé Pópóọlá in conversation with Canadian author, screenwriter and filmmaker Jordan Tannahill about her latest work When We Speak of Nothing and more.
Adrian Daub & Bianca Wylie "What Tech Calls Thinking"
We present a conversation between author and academic Adrian Daub and open Government advocate Bianca Wylie. Adrian recently wrote What Tech Calls Thinking, a playful, insightful account of the ways tech tries to subvert criticism of itself by adopting counter-cultural tropes and language.
Antanas Sileika & Michael Winter, Kathryn Walter & Benjamin Klein "The Occidental Hotel"
We are very happy to present the conversation of authors Antanas Sileika & Michael Winter, and artists Kathryn Walter & Benjamin Klein about The Occidental Hotel, the final work of Canadian critic and author John Bentley Mays.
Pierre Joris & Nicholas Hauck Translating the works of Paul Celan
The translator of Paul Celan, Pierre Jolis, in conversation with Toronto academic Nicholas Hauck about his translations of the works of Paul Celan and other poetry. They go on to touch on the issue of objectivity, the textual fidelity of translations and their borderline with creation, and answer questions from the audience.
Susan Bernofsky & Toronto Experimental Translation Collective (TETC) About Translations
Acclaimed translator and author Susan Bernofsky (Jenny Erpenbeck) joined the Toronto Experimental Translation Collective and Carter West from the Goethe-Institut Toronto for a conversation about translations, Yoko Tawada, Thomas Mann and Robert Walser.
We are pleased to present a conversation of the Goethe-Institut's Carter West with Professor Monica Black. Professor Black recently published A Demon Haunted Land with Metropolitan Books (Henry Holt). In it she asks startling questions about Post-War German history, reconciliation with the past and the strange ways a better future was moved towards.
John Paul Kleiner of the DAAD meets author Andrew Demshuk at the English Book Club of the Goethe-Institut Toronto to talk about his book Bowling for Communism.
