#Vorzeichen
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Vorzeichen

© Goethe-Institut

Vorzeichen

Whom, What, and How We Read

Through online readings and talks at the intersection of scholarship with the literary scene, as well as book reviews on Instagram, the series intends to open up spaces for texts and readers, different ways of reading and new perspectives on literature. All events will be broadcast online and made available as recordings afterwards.

About the project

Decisions about which titles are deemed to be part of the literary canon are not neutral. Canonical literature reflects power structures. Which aesthetic characteristics are considered to be ideal? Which authors do we pay attention to? With which eyes do we read their books? In music, accidental notes, such as a ♯ or a ♭​​, mark a shift to a different key. Vorzeichen aims to provide impulses which disrupt the idea of a standardised, closed corpus of texts and voices. Through online readings and talks, as well as book reviews on Instagram, the series intends to open up spaces for texts and readers, different ways of reading and new perspectives on literature.


 

Nächste Veranstaltungen

Der Autor Musa Okwonga steht lächelnd vor einem tiefschwarzen Hintergrund, er trägt einen violett glitzernden Pullover. Links oben das Vorzeichen-Logo, rechts im Bild das Buchcover zu Es ging immer nur um Liebe.
© Phil Dera
27.11.2024 | Online
Musa Okwonga

Am 27.11.2024 ist Musa Okwonga zu Gast bei Meet the Author und spricht mit uns über sein Buch Es ging immer nur um Liebe, über das poetische Reisen durch Berlin, London und Uganda sowie über Dating, Liebe und Begehren.

Videos

The picture shows Ervin Malakaj, a man in a chequered shirt with a beard, standing in front of a hedge. The logo of the Vorzeichen series can be seen at the top left of the picture.
© private
Online lecture #2
 Ervin Malakaj

In the second online lecture in the series, on 4 June 2024, Ervin Malakaj explored the question of how translated literature influences the understanding and perception of German literature and which global perspectives can be identified as a result. 

The picture shows the author Khuê Phạm, a woman with long, black hair. She rests her face in her hands and looks directly into the camera.
© Alena Schmick
Meet the Author #4
 Khuê Phạm

In June, Maha El Hissy spoke with author and Zeit editor Khuê Phạm about her novel Wo auch immer ihr seid [Brothers and Ghosts]. As with our event with Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus, this was a hybrid session, with participants both online as well as in person at the bookshop Khan Aljanub in Berlin Neukölln.

The poets Sam Zamrik to the left and Lahya Aukongo to the right.
Sam Zamrik © Paula Winkler|Lahya Aukongo © private
Meet the Author #3
 Lahya Aukongo & Sam Zamrik

Our third literary event on 21 May was dedicated to poetry and featured Lahya Aukongo and Sam Zamrik. The reading took place in cooperation with diffrakt: Zentrum für theoretische Peripherie in Berlin Schöneberg and was streamed live on Zoom. 

Book Reviews by Armin, Yeama und Charlott

The picture shows the cover of the book, which features an abstract green and blue pattern on a white background.
© Rohwolt
Book Review #11
 Yeama reads 'Adikou'

A young black woman somewhere between New York and Paris in search of herself. Join Yeama in her latest review for #Vorzeichen and follow the protagonist of Raphaëlle Red's debut novel Adikou on her journey.

Blue-coloured sketches and pictures can be seen in the background of the book cover. The book title ‘Not the First - Movement Stories of Queers of Colour in Germany’ and the name of the editor are written in large blue letters. The lower edge of the book cover is coloured neon green and contains the name of the publisher.
© Assoziation A
Book review #12
 Charlott reads 'Nicht die Ersten'

Experiences of discrimination (can) feel isolating. But Tarek Shukrallah’s collected volume, Nicht die Ersten—Bewegungsgeschichten von Queers of Color in Deutschland, demonstrates that we’re not alone. Charlott’s new contribution to #Vorzeichen reviews this collection.

Buchcover von Fabian Sauls Die Trauer der Tangente
© Matthes & Seitz
Book review #13
 Armin reads 'Die Trauer der Tangente'

Armin discovers a story he will carry with him in Fabian Saul’s debut novel Die Trauer der Tangente. Find out why in his latest review for #Vorzeichen.

The project Vorzeichen is curated by the independent literary scholar and critic, Maha El Hissy.
© Lina Burcu

Accidental Portents A concept by Dr Maha El Hissy, curator of the project

In music theory, a song composition containing multiple iterations of the same melody is called a canon. The leader sings and provides the tune; other voices then repeat the melody at staggered intervals. Regardless of whether these other voices sing the exact same melody or a variation, participating in a canon always means acknowledging one’s dependency on a single origin or source.