Journeys into literature – 1st evening of poetry

The first poetry evening at Villa Ichon presents the anthology "A thief in the dark staring at a painting" – Persian-language poetry of the 21st century and thus presents the latest poetry from Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran and exile in German translation for the first time. This work follows the first anthology "Hold out the night until the wine" in which contemporary Iranian poetry before the "Islamic Revolution" was presented in a representative selection in German transmission.

The anthologies are edited and translated by Ali Abdollahi, who is personally present that evening, and from Kurt Scharf, which will be online. The poet Inge Buck, who edited both anthologies, will be the moderator.

Ali Abdollahi was born in 1968 in Birdschand, northeastern Iran. He studied German in Tehran. He is a poet, literary critic and translator of poetry and narrative prose, but also of philosophy from German. Abdollahi lives in Iran and Germany, is married and has two sons.

Kurt Scharf was born in 1940 and was deputy director of the Goethe-Institut in Tehran and director of the Goethe-Institut in Porto Alegre, Istanbul and Lisbon. He is also a founding member of the House of World Cultures and worked there as head of the literature, society and science department.

Moderation: Inge Buck