Panel Ostwärts

Readings & talk

Zsófia Bán, Alhierd Bacharevič, Zaza Burchuladze
Moderation: Dr. Zaal Andronikashvili, Leibniz Centre for Literary and Cultural Research Berlin

Belarus, Hungary, Georgia: Three authors, three approaches to writing, three biographies, three languages and literatures. And three countries in Central and Eastern Europe that are led by right-wing or autocratic governments - each in different relationships of dependence on Russia. How can this cultural and political area of Central and Eastern Europe be defined today? What unites and what divides the countries in question? Is there a need for a common narrative that can be invoked in contrast to Western narratives? What omissions are there on both the Eastern and Western European side for the creation of an equal European narrative and historiography in their simultaneous diversity? These and other questions will be explored by moderator Zaal Andronikashvili and authors Zsófia Bán, Alhierd Bacharevič and Zaza Burchuladze.
Before the talk, the authors will read from their current works.
Zsófia Bán, Hungarian writer, essayist and literary and art critic, will be bringing her latest book "Aletheia lebt" (2025) with her. Aletheia was born in Budapest in 1924 and died during the pandemic in 2021. Her story spans four generations, focusing mainly on the women.
Alhierd Bacharevič is a Belarusian writer and translator of German literature. He was awarded the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding in 2025 for his novel "Europe's Dogs", translated by Thomas Weiler; the novel is banned in Belarus. He has lived in exile since the end of 2020, currently in Hamburg.
Zaza Burchuladze, born in 1973 in Tbilisi, Georgia, writes about political conformity, violence and brutality and deals with ideologies, religions and sexuality. He fled to Germany with his family in 2012. He now lives and works in Berlin. He has received several awards for his novels.

- Languages: German / English
- Barrier-free