Elias Hirschl - Harbour Front Literaturfestival

Reading and moderated discussion
in cooperation with the Literaturhaus Hamburg

“Elias who?” Until recently, even connoisseurs would have just rubbed their eyes in disbelief. But suddenly, there he is! Elias Hirschl! “Yes, of course! Hirschl!” is what all connoisseurs—or those who consider themselves such—now say. Or they even offer to be on a first-name basis without being asked: “Sure, Elias is a truly, truly great talent.” And there’s no getting around the rising star of the German-language literary scene anymore. For some time now, the arts pages have been falling over themselves when it comes to the 32-year-old Vienna-born musician, slam poet, and author of literature, theater, and radio. And his audience loves him, too (Audience Award at the 2022 Bachmann Prize).

If you’re looking for imagination, originality, and a profound interest in language in literature, you’ve come to the right place! Just like in the multifaceted Vienna School, it’s never just about the plot here, but about language itself—beyond the rampant banality and triviality of prose. But the plot of “Schleifen” is also very unique and packs a punch:

As a child, Franziska suffers from an illness that’s almost impossible to explain: every symptom she hears or reads about immediately manifests in her own body. A single word is enough, and her body reacts. With the help of a young mathematician, she discovers that words from dead languages help her protect herself against her suffering. From this experience, a joint project emerges: the search for a language that is unambiguous, does not cause harm, and does not spiral out of control. “Schleifen” asks—in a highly timely manner—to what extent language determines what we consider to be right.

In an extremely sophisticated way, “Schleifen” combines historical material with fiction. Time and again, in Elias Hirschl’s work, the seemingly unbelievable turns out to be true, and the rest is extremely well-crafted fiction. The Vienna Circle, mathematics, the philosophy of language, and the political upheavals of the 20th century form the backdrop. The novel is erudite, humorous, and, at its best, very free-thinking.
Critics have responded to this novel with unusual clarity. Clemens J. Setz calls *Schleifen* a “great novel of ideas by one of the most delightful contemporary authors.” The FAZ praised its “unbridled, thought-provoking wit” and a “firework display of fresh ideas.” The Süddeutsche Zeitung counted at least two thousand original ideas across four hundred pages. And the NZZ spoke of a “marvel of confusion.”