AKADEMIE FORUM - reception of Arabic literature

While religion, philology, and colonialism are among the crucial factors of this development, the way writers have responded to them has been varied, and initially was quite positive.

As Stefan Weidner points out on the example of early Arabic poetry, this response was expressed in numerous translations and adaptations. In the second half of the 19th century, this development came to an abrupt end. It is only since Reunification in 1989–90 that a wider interest in Arabic literature has once again emerged in Germany.

In his lecture, Stefan Weidner explores the multifaceted reception of Arabic literature over time and poses the question to what extent matters of political stance and worldview have played a role, while also asking whether Arabic literature has ever been perceived as such, i.e., as one “literature” among other (European) ones. The lecture closes with a fresh look at ancient Arabic poetry as a paradigm for this development.Stefan Weidner is a writer, scholar of Arabic literature and culture, and translator based in Cologne.

Presented in German

Featuring a musical performance by Barenboim-Said Akademie students Andrés Eloy Gómez Crespo and Teorem Berkay Aksu (percussion).