„Die Witze vor Gericht mache ich vor allen Dingen, um dich in der ersten Reihe zum Lachen zu bringen.“ Katja Kolm und Michael Maertens lesen Nawalnys Gefängnisschriften

In the organizer's words:

This is what Alexei Navalny, Russia's most feared critic, wrote to his wife Yulia Navalnaya. Katja Kolm began collecting his prison writings in 2021 to bring them to German-speaking audiences. The reading Hallo, hier spricht Nawalny made its debut at the 2024 Salzburg Festival - shortly after Alexei Navalny's death. (With the kind permission of Yulia Navalny). In his letters, the activist appears as a sober analyst, passionate prophet, stern and ironic accuser and loving husband. He dissects the Russian government, describes the conditions in prison, takes excursions into Russian history and shares personal experiences. DIE ZEIT reported exuberantly: "This reading, subtitled Letters from a Free Man, should not remain a one-off. Katja Kolm and Michael Maertens should go on a reading tour." We are delighted that we were able to make this possible and that you can now experience the evening at lit.COLOGNE.
Idea, concept and text selection: Katja Kolm
Translation and German adaptation: Katja Kolm and Isolde Schmitt

You can find the complete lit.COLOGNE program here!