Anna Seghers and the Brazilian writer Jorge Amado had a special friendship ever since they met in Wroclaw in 1948. An intensive exchange of letters and mutual visits in the decades that followed bear witness to this. Anna Seghers’ journeys to Brazil in 1961 and 1963 are reflected literarily in the story Crossing. In German.

The Heinrich Mann Prize 2023 goes to Hungarian author, historian and translator György Dalos. From the jury statement: “His work spans a wide range from the division of Europe to the collapse of the Soviet Union to the project of an illiberal democracy in his home country Hungary. Anyone who reads György Dalos not only gains new insights into contemporary European history—but into the entire genealogy of the present”. In German. 

The Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof is one of the most famous cemeteries in Berlin – not least because Brecht's last resting place is here. But many of his comrades-in-arms are also laid to rest here; many whom he shaped, promoted and inspired or who supported him. If one were to draw threads between the graves, a densely interwoven web would emerge. The tour aims to trace these lines, references and influences. In German.

Anna Seghers, who often appeared rather shy and cautious, found support among her friends, whom she trusted unreservedly, with whom she exchanged ideas and laughed unselfconsciously. The writer remained close to the actresses Steffie Spira and Helene Weigel, the author Berta Waterstradt and the politician Lore Wolf until the end of her life. In German.

Liberal democracies have been experiencing the rise of authoritarian and (neo)fascist movements and governments for some time. The “Right-wing Spaces” research project has been investigating its spatial dimensions since 2018. From hate-fuelling memes in digital space to revisionist memory architectures and anti-democratic private city projects: Over two evenings, economic, political and media aspects of the global shift to the right—and the resistance against it—will be discussed. In English.

The Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof is one of the most famous cemeteries in Berlin – not least because Brecht's last resting place is here. But many of his comrades-in-arms are also laid to rest here; many whom he shaped, promoted and inspired or who supported him. If one were to draw threads between the graves, a densely interwoven web would emerge. The tour aims to trace these lines, references and influences. In German.