“Mannheim Reads a Book” to Enter Its Third Round
The previous two editions of the city-wide reading event “Mannheim reads a book” were full-blown success stories – to be continued this fall. Prof. Dr. Thomas Wortmann and Dr. Sandra Beck initiated the event in 2022. This year’s featured novel is Drei Kameradinnen (“Sisters in Arms”) by Shida Bazyar.
Credit: Alexander Münch
“Whether it’s friendship and coming of age, migration or politics – this great novel has something for everyone,” says Dr. Sandra Beck when explaining the decision to pick Shida Bazyar’s novel Drei Kameradinnen (“Sisters in Arms”) as Mannheim’s “book of the city” for 2024. A research associate at the University of Mannheim’s Chair of Modern German Literary Studies II, Beck is co-organizing the third round of “Mannheim reads a book” with Thomas Wortmann, Professor of Modern German Literary Studies, and the Mannheim National Theater.
Drei Kameradinnen, shortlisted for the 2021 German Book Award, is about the extraordinary alliance of three young women. It is a story about their lives and about what it means to have your identity challenged on a daily basis and wherever you go. “The richness of socially relevant, urgent themes in the book appeals to different groups of readers. That’s what we want to achieve with “Mannheim reads a book,’” says Wortmann.
Travelling books and seminars
As in the previous two years, the kick-off event will take place in the university aula. On November 4, Bazyar, Beck and Wortmann will host a free book reading, followed by a discussion with the author. In the subsequent four weeks, the city will see a wide range of events and activities exploring the novel.
For example, interested readers will be able to borrow the novel as a “travelling book” at various stations throughout Mannheim. Moreover, the German Studies Department will offer a corresponding seminar, a cultural practice course and a discussion night in cooperation with Bücher Bender, an independent bookstore.
“We never expected a response like that”
The concept, which is already well-established in other German cities, was brought to Mannheim by Wortmann and Beck, who are very satisfied with the successful outcomes of the first two programs: “We have a strikingly young audience,” says Wortmann – a phenomenon he believes is also due to the strong support of Mannheim’s secondary schools and university students. “We never expected a response like that.”
According to Beck, the university-exclusive events were also well received. “Students are exposed to a new perspective on literature when they get the opportunity to talk with the authors in person. When we invited Karosh Taha for a workshop in 2022, some people were nervous about meeting her in person, but we ended up having an intensive discussion with the author about her novel Beschreibung einer Krabbenwanderung and her future projects.”
The city-wide reading event “Mannheim reads a book” is co-organized by the University of Mannheim and the Mannheim National Theater. Additional partners include the City of Mannheim Office of Cultural Affairs, the City Library, and multiple Mannheim-based institutions, associations and schools.
For more information and the programming for this year’s event, see the “Mannheim reads a book” website (in German).