Literary highlights in late summer

Poems for anyone who could do with a bit of cheering up after this scorching summer, which leaves no doubt that the consequences of the climate crisis are upon us. ‘Breathe freely, find happiness easily,’ writes Iris Gold. For life, she says, is in reality ‘a colourful playground where airy, light flowers of breath and happiness grow’. Hasn’t the new era long since begun, and hasn’t the baggage of bygone days been cast aside? Iris Gold vividly describes her idyllic life during her time in Italy, using ‘cluster thinking’ constructs that exude synaesthetic effects.

6 September | Sphères

Refreshed and invigorated by these ‘bubbles of happiness’ in one’s thoughts, it is then a pleasure to take part in the reading seminar on Sven Beckert’s monumental standard work. How has capitalism managed, over the centuries, to develop such immense power and spread so widely across the globe that humanity, nature – indeed, the Earth itself as a habitable planet – have been driven to the brink of existence? Harvard historian Sven Beckert explores this question in his book *Capitalism: History of a World Revolution’. In it, he demonstrates that capitalism already existed in various regions of the world 1,000 years ago and that systems of power, slavery and state violence are not phenomena confined to recent history. But how is it possible to reimagine the future now? In this six-part reading seminar, we will discuss this 1,000-page magnum opus together. We strongly recommend purchasing the book as a basis for the seminar. Register now!

8 September | Paulus Academy

The time has come: the whole of Europe united under a single regime – the whole of Europe? No, little Usserstri, 4.89 square kilometres in the heart of Zurich, continues to do as it pleases. The last free patch of Europe. The Republic annexed everything else 87 years ago and now rules with an iron fist. But since a treacherous murder, harmony has been disrupted in Usserstri too: Jakob Vermeulen, a big shot in the Republic, was shot in the back – and on a Saturday, of all days, when people are supposed to be having fun. The debut by G.A.E. Papageorgiu (*1998, Leipzig) looks more than promising. She studied Islamic Studies and Politics, and her artistic roots lie in the world of comics. Her first novel is inspired by Chandler and Glauser and is set in the Zurich nightlife that has shaped her life for years.

21 September | Sphères

How do women experience living in housing estates that were predominantly planned by men? This workshop invites participants to reflect together on their own living situations and housing histories, and to ask which of women’s needs have been incorporated into the planning – and which have not. The workshop is based on the book project ‘Frauen leben im Neubühl – Vom Wohnen in einer Ikone’ by Sandra König, Henriette Lutz and Ulrike Schröer. Registration is recommended.

23 September | Charlemagne

In *Die Auster* (Hanser 2026), the multi-award-winning Basel-based author Yael Inokai sets a crime story in a luxury department store, with the murdered man’s cleaner at its centre. Using delicate, poetic language, she opens up a microcosm between rich and poor and explores interdependence, inequality and human destinies. Host: Tabea Steiner.

24 September | Literaturhaus Zürich