Lesung mit Olivier David

In the organizer's words:

Stories of the lower class, literature about social background - these are usually tales of departure and advancement. Olivier David's essays revolve around those who have remained at the bottom. Olivier David is a writer and columnist. His debut book "Keine Aufstiegsgeschichte - Warum Armut psychisch krank macht" (No upward mobility story - Why poverty makes you mentally ill) describes growing up in poverty in Hamburg-Altona from an autobiographical perspective and the connection between social inequality and mental illness. His second book "Von der namenlosen Menge - über Klasse, Wut & Einsamkeit" was published in 2024. In it, he deals with aspects of (lack of) class consciousness, isolation, the bodies of those affected by poverty and political feelings such as anger and loneliness. As a political, committed writer, he deals with the question of how stories of the working class can be passed on when there is no collective memory of poor people. On this evening, Olivier David will read his own texts and afterwards we will discuss with him the intertwining of literature and everyday political life and the importance and tasks of culture for politics.