Event as part of the 29th Schwerin Literature Days
DARKNESS IN THE RANDZONE - Reading with Ilija Matusko
"No day off" - that's what it says on the sign at the entrance. Ilija's parents run a restaurant in Bavaria. He has been helping in the kitchen since he was a child, growing up with chips and deep-fat fryers. When the restaurant stops running, his parents open a new one somewhere else.
Because his father enjoys playing tennis, he gives his son tennis lessons. Ilija makes new friends at the club and wants to go to grammar school like them. His life becomes increasingly disconnected from that of his parents, especially when his father returns to Croatia. But something stays with him through the years: "It smells like chips, Ilija is coming!". This sentence from a classmate, which has stayed with him to this day, becomes the starting point for a self-questioning process: Does the smell reveal one's social background?
Ilija Matusko combines personal memories with sociological observations in his debut. In ten essayistic chapters, he tells the story of an educational climber - with a keen eye for subtle differences, wit and literary power.
Ilija Matusko, born in 1980, studied sociology and political science and lives and works in Berlin, including for the taz. He was a fellow at the Edenkoben manor house, the Alfred Döblin House and the Schöppingen artists' village. "Verdunstung in der Randzone" is his debut, for which he received a grant from the Fritz Hüser Institute before publication.
Moderation: Emily Grunert, Head of Literaturbüro NRW
Friday
November 01, 2024
7:30 pm
Kulturforum Schleswig-Holstein-Haus, Puschkinstraße 12
Admission
Box office: €13.00 / advance booking: €11.00
Organizer
Cultural Office of the State capital Schwerin
