ruh sounds • Lesung & Konzert • Şehnaz Dost & Berivan Kaya

In the organizer's words:

Reading & concert with Şehnaz Dost (ruh) & Berivan Kaya

ŞehnazDost is a freelance author and literary mediator. Her debut novel ruh was awarded a translation recommendation and funding guarantee for the English-language edition by the New Books in German Committee. Dost studied German language and literature, comparative literature and media analysis. Before, during and after this, she wrote journalistic texts for various editorial offices and formats. Her short prose can be found in the magazines "Literarische Diverse" and "Yallah Salon", among others. She was a fellow of the Autor*innenwerkstatt Prosa at the renowned Literarisches Colloquium Berlin. In her texts, she deals with disruption: what does not fit, how to behave towards it and the question of gentleness.

Berivan Kaya is an up-and-coming musician from Cologne who is causing a stir with her "Anatolian indie" sound. She combines Turkish folk and art music as well as arabesque with minimalist guitar sounds, soft electronic beats and synthwave. Her gigs create a cozy rakı-meze atmosphere where the focus is on singing together. Her debut single "Megaloman" attracted a lot of attention in 2023. She is currently working on her first album "Leb-i Rhein'da Bir Balık". Berivan's music reflects her cultural roots and brings a fresh dynamic to the indie scene.

The novel: ruh by Şehnaz Dost | Cemal is in his late 30s, a German teacher at an elementary school and father to little Ekin. He wants to create a stable environment for her - but he is finding this increasingly difficult. His everyday life, full of the challenges of the diaspora, is increasingly interrupted at night by dreams of his deceased great-grandmother Süveyde. In them, she shows him scenes from her life and casually transports him to the place of his childhood: an Arab village in southern Turkey, where Cemal lived with his grandparents until he followed his parents to Germany at the age of eight - to a family that was foreign to him, but which he was now to love.

Published by ecco Verlag in 2024.