Die Freiheit der Wörter

In the organizer's words:

What role does literature play for democracy? Reading and discussion with Atefe Asadi, musically accompanied by Ehsan Ebrahimi on the santoor.

The author, editor and translator Atefe Asadi was born in Tehran in 1994 and has worked for numerous literary magazines and websites in Iran. Her texts deal with the social, political and religious issues of Iranian society, including gender issues, sexuality and women's rights. Her short story collections were banned in Iran.

Following the censorship of her works in Iran, Asadi published them underground, which, along with her participation in protests, led to her arrest. In December 2022, Atefe Asadi received the Hannah Arendt Fellowship, which is jointly supported by the Cultural Office of the City of Hanover and the Literaturhaus, and has been living in Hanover as an ICORN resident ever since. In addition to her literary work, Atefe Asadi supports the Frau.Leben.Freiheit movement in Iran and takes part in the Berlin program "Weiterschreiben".

At the event in the Zeitzentrum Zivilcourage, Atefe Asadi will read from her poems and short stories and talk to Ferdos Mirabadi from kargah e.V. about the role of literature for a free, democratic society. Eva Bender, Head of the Department of Culture and Education of the City of Hanover, will open the evening with a welcoming address. Mediya Biparva from kargah e.V. will translate from Persian into German. The evening will be accompanied by music from the Iranian composer and santoor teacher Ehsan Ebrahimi.

An event organized by the Cultural Office and the Zeitzentrum Zivilcourage of the City of Hanover in cooperation with kargah e.V.