BILA HUDOOD: Arabic Literature in Berlin

This panel shines a spotlight on Berlin as a centre of Arabic-language literary production. Prose writer Haytham El-Wardany, playwright Liwaa Yazji, and Arabic-German translator Sandra Hetzl will reflect on the recent upsurge of Arabic writing taking place in the city and discuss themes and styles that emerge in this body of work, and the inspiration they find for their own practice. Panelists discussed the infrastructure that supports this creativity, and ask whether Berlin is doing enough to support its non-German writers. They also examined some of the challenges of being an Arab writer in Berlin. Panelists read short extracts from recent work they’ve written in or about Berlin. Moderated by Katharine Halls.