Nino Haratischwili
(Tbilisi, 1983) had her breakthrough in 2014 with The Eight Life. In this award-winning, 1300-page family epic, the Hamburg-based Georgian writer tells the story of the fictitious Georgian Jasji family. She takes the reader to the Soviet Union, in particular during the dramatic years when Georgian-born tyrant Stalin was in power. She also takes the reader to the Swinging London of the 1960s and '70s, to the Prague Rebellion of 1968 and to the Caucasus, the area where she is from. Despite all the horrors she describes, it is not a terrible book but rather a tragicomic fairy tale with malicious traits. The main theme is the question of whether destiny still matters, even here and now in the West. Haratischwili made her debut in 2010 with Juja, followed by Mein sanfter Zwilling (My Gentle Twin) in 2011. She studied film directing in Tbilisi and theatre directing in Hamburg. Her plays have won many awards.
Past events
Books Unlimited: Nino Haratischwili and Alain Mabanckou
Two interviews. Meet international top writers and their latest bestsellers: Haratischwili's The eighth life and Mabanckou's Black Moses.
Ode to Joy
Schiller's idealistic poem adapted to the here and now! Eight writers and poets present their versions, accompanied by song and music on accordion and cello.
Égalité! The Legacy of the Soviets
The 2nd ideal of the French Revolution reconsidered in conversation and music. Can Marx remain a fount of inspiration?
