Miriam Davoudvandi »Das können wir uns nicht leisten«

March 18, 2026 / 7.30 pm / Literature Café / Hall

LEIPZIG READS

"This book is for everyone who has walked around in Victory shoes instead of Nikes. For everyone who was ashamed to invite friends home. For everyone whose only leisure activities were soccer or watching TV because there was no money for anything else. For everyone who never had peace and quiet at home - in their rooms and in their heads. For everyone who heard more than once: We can't afford this."

She gave boys a wide berth for a long time, because Miriam Davoudvandi knew that every guy would have to see the inside of her apartment at some point: in the shabby social housing in the middle of detached houses, the cluttered rooms, the worn-out bathroom. The shame of not being able to offer anything and not belonging has shaped Miriam Davoudvandi at least since she started school - and it is still a part of her today.

She has since risen socially and earns more than her parents ever did. Her conclusion: money actually makes you very happy. But at what price? And what traces have her experiences left behind? Miriam Davoudvandi gives an honest and touching account of what it means to be poor in Germany. She not only looks at the obvious scenes of poverty, but also at aspects such as dating, friendships, starting a family and the psyche, the importance of the television and life as the first student in the family. And shows why the poor are even disadvantaged when it comes to dying.

However, figures do not help us to understand what poverty feels like and what it does to people in the long term. This makes it all the more important to listen to Miriam Davoudvandi's story. She also speaks for all those who previously had no voice. (btb 2026)

Admission: 10,- / 7,- EUR ǀ Event organized by Literaturhaus Leipzig e.V. and btb Verlag.