We are looking forward to welcoming author Musa Okwonga to the #Vorzeichen literary series on November 27, 2024. We will discuss his novel In the End, It Was All About Love, a poetic journey through Berlin, London, and Uganda; love, dating, and desire; along with literary and journalistic writing and the dangers of rightwing extremism.

The conversation will be moderated by independent literary scholar and critic Maha El Hissy, who is curating the #Vorzeichen series for the Goethe-Institut Northwestern Europe in 2024. Discussions will be held in English and broadcast via Zoom. As always, participation is free of charge, and all are welcome.

 

In the End, It Was All About Love

Berlin, a place of extreme seasons, shocks you. Just like its inhabitants, whose acts of rudeness and kindness, often reveal themselves over the course of the same day. You’re so lonely here, you feel like your heart could break. What brought you to Berlin? Sometimes it seems like the question occupies the minds of others more than it occupies you. You came here to write, to fall in love, and to stay in love.

The fictional “you” figure in In the End, It Was All About Love wanders through scenes from daily life in Berlin and London, as well as northern Uganda, where he investigates his paternal heritage. In restaurants, cafes, and on the street, banal moments provide the opportunity for poetic reflections on life, love, passion, leave-taking, and death.

#Vorzeichen centers writing from marginalized positions, and in doing so, works to counter rightwing politics. In this context, Okwonga’s book demonstrates how a powerful, prophetic imagination can aid in writing about the dangers of rightwing radicalism.
 

Quote

»The wind is a true Berliner; whenever it meets you in the street, it charges rudely past, convinced its destination is more important than yours.«

Musa Okwonga: In the End, It Was All About Love. Rough Trade Books, 2021.
 

Musa Okwonga

Born in London, Musa Okwonga is an author, journalist, and musician. Okwonga’s numerous essays and articles engage with topics of culture, racism, gender, music, sports, politics, and technology. His work has been published in The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The New Statesman, and The New York Times, as well as in Zeit and taz. He has also published two books on soccer and a collection of poetry. He’s lived in Berlin since 2014.
 

Vorzeichen

This online event is part of the series #Vorzeichen. Wen, was und wie wir lesen [Accidental Portents: Whom, What, and How We Read]. The series illuminates the multiplicity of texts, forms, and aesthetic practices which have developed outside the hegemonial practices of canonization. It provides a critical perspective on the literary canon, highlighting the importance of reading as a practice for critiquing structures of power. In addition to literary conversations, the series will also include six online lectures at the intersection of literary studies and the contemporary literary scene, along with book discussions and reviews which will be published over the course of the year on Instagram. Further information about #Vorzeichen, as well as announcements for forthcoming events and recordings of previous sessions can be found at the following link.