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Queere Literatur – aus Europa und der Welt: Vom 14. bis 16. Juli 2016 veranstaltet das Literarische Colloquium Berlin (LCB, am Wannsee) ein Festival zu Homosexualitäten – “Empfindlichkeiten” (mehr Infos in der Spex und auf der LCB-Website).

Ich begleite das Festival als Liveblogger.

Der Freitag Vor- und Nachmittag gehörte drei großen, knapp zweistündigen Diskussions-Panels: “Maske”, “Körper” und “Schrift” [Link zu Statements, Fotos und Infos].

Am Folgetag – Samstag, 16. Juli – starten drei weitere, einstündige Diskussions-Panels: „Schrift“, „Maske“, „Körper“. Fotos vom Festival-Fotografen Tobias Bohm:

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14.00 Uhr: Schrift. Statements und Diskussion – mit: 

Alain Claude Sulzer (Basel)
Dieter Ingenschay (Berlin)
Édouard Louis (Paris)
Raziel Reid (Vancouver)
Kristof Magnusson (Berlin)

Moderation: Nina Seiler

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Statements aus der Diskussion, die mir im Gedächtnis blieben – schnell mitgetippt:

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I think literature is still a perfect art form to negotiate ideas of sexual identity. You don’t have to finance a movie: Writing is fairly cheap – and that’s what makes it so easy to express utopian ideas. – Kristof Magnusson

Young people are building their identities through the internet: There are infinite resources and information. The value of YA literature, now, is really to give them a sense of belonging und a sense of being less alone. – Raziel Reid

Schreiben ist für mich ein ästhetisches Verlangen. Es geht um den perfekten Satz und nichts anderes. – Alain Claude Sulzer.

When we talk about literature, we talk about privileged people: people who have time and energy to read novels. So when we talk about literature, we should always talk about the problems and the failures of literature – the people that literature can’t reach. The words don’t always BUILD us – sometimes, they completely fail. – Edouard Louis

We are never a woman, we are never gay, we are never black – we always fail, and that’s why we suffer: These institutions don’t work. There’s always the gap between us and the language that we’re using. These [labels and standards, for example: the concept/ideal of ‚masculinity‘] never work. And maybe, the suffering comes from this failure, this distance. – Edouard Louis

…and, from the audience, Abdellah Taia remarked how often (supposed) „humour“ is used to belittle, shame and be aggressive against queer people. Taia: „Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to get naked in front of all of them and say: ‚Now you can laugh‘.“

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Tobias Bohms Fotos vom zweiten Panel:

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15.00 Uhr: Maske. Statements und Diskussion – mit: 

Mario Fortunato (Roma)
Dmitry Kuzmin (Riga)
Suzana Tratnik (Ljubljana)
Luisge Martín (Madrid)

Moderation: Franziska Bergmann

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Statements aus der Diskussion, die mir im Gedächtnis blieben – schnell mitgetippt:

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Re-reading my own texts, I notice that in my writing, I’m revealing myself to myself in some ways that I never knew about. It’s like psychotherapy. – Suzana Tratnik

I’m a writer. I am absolutely gay. But I’m not an absolutely gay writer. I have plenty of other identities. – Luisgé Martin

To me, James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” is book about heterosexist normativities inherent to both the character and the author, damaging and ruining everything. – Dmitry Kuzmin

The very act of saying “clearly” is problematic. Who is saying that? How can he say that? – Dmitry Kuzmin

We live in this stupid society: The main part is: Expose yourself, be naked, go on television, do something completely stupid so people will talk about you. And writers are forced by the industry to get more and more on stage. Yesterday, an audience member asked us if our publishers ever censored us. But no, on contrary – they say: “Go on! Use strong words and be as vulgar as possible!” I’m sorry – I’m not interested in audiences. I have never in my life written one word thinking about my audience: I write because…. because… because… I don’t know. I like it, it’s interesting and it’s making me money, so I continue: It’s much better than working! Every time a book of mine comes out, I say: No – I don’t want to do any promotion for this book. I do refuse this industry. This kind of mass market. – Mario Fortunato

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Tobias Bohms Fotos vom dritten Panel:

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17.00 Uhr: Körper. Statements und Diskussion – mit: 

Niviaq Korneliussen (Nuuk)
Masha Gessen (New York)
Izabela Morska (Gdańsk)
Ricardo Domeneck (São Paulo / Berlin)

Moderation: Dirk Naguschewski

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Statements aus der Diskussion, die mir im Gedächtnis blieben – schnell mitgetippt:

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I’m a 26-year old queer female writer from Greenland. Most other Greenlandic writers are male – and over 100. Very masculine writers who write about nature and being a proud Greenlander. Almost everyone in Greenland has read my book – and it’s not about being a proud Greenlander at all. It’s about being queer, and about finding home in countries other than Greenland. – Niviaq Korneliussen

It’s a privilege to talk about queer people openly, in the media. – Niviaq Korneliussen

People have a strange view of Brazil because women get naked there on five days a year. But it’s the biggest catholic country in the world: For women, for blacks and for homosexuals, it’s an extremely dangerous country. – Ricardo Domeneck

When I speak up and write, I often get messages that say: ‚Please don’t bring this disease of political correctness into Brazil‘ – and these messages are always from white heterosexual men. – Ricardo Domeneck

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all my 2016 interviews on Queer Literature:

• Hilary McCollum (Link)
• Saleem Haddad (Link)
• Luisgé Martin (Link)
• Raziel Reid (Link)

…and, in German:

• Katy Derbyshire (Link)
• Kristof Magnusson (Link)
• Angela Steidele (Link)
• Hans Hütt (Link)
• Martina Minette Dreier (Link)

Kuratoren & Experten am Literarischen Colloquium Berlin: 

• Thorsten Dönges (Link)
• Samanta Gorzelniak (Link)
• Ronny Matthes (Link)

Queer Literature: “Empfindlichkeiten” Festival 2016:

• essays/statements by LGBTQ writers
• quotes & discussions, July 15th
• quotes & discussions, July 16th