Organised by Till Kadritzke, Michail Leivadiotis, Friederike Schäfer, and Sebastian Tränkle in collaboration with Torsten Jost and Matthias Warstat, Research Area 2: "Travelling Matters".

We warmly invite all Cluster members to our final Jour Fixe of the year with EXC Dorothea Schlegel Artist in Residence Saskya Jain. This session will delve into the themes and narrative techniques at the heart of Jain’s work as a novelist, featuring selected readings that will set the stage for an open discussion on her creative process. Jain’s latest project, Taj Mahal Tempelhof, marks an exciting new chapter in her storytelling, shifting her narrative focus from New Delhi to Berlin, and will be an essential part of our conversation.

Saskya Jain is an acclaimed novelist from New Delhi whose writing explores themes of power, gender, class, and religion within contemporary Indian society. Her novels, Fire Under Ash (Penguin Random House, 2014) and Geeta Rahman at Championship Point (Simon & Schuster, 2021), have earned nominations for prestigious awards and are celebrated for their sharp social critique. Jain’s stories and essays have appeared in publications such as The Economist, The Caravan, and DIE ZEIT, and she has held teaching and residency positions internationally.

About Taj Mahal Tempelhof
In her latest novel project, Taj Mahal Tempelhof, Jain moves beyond the Indian setting to contemporary Berlin, crafting a story that spans continents and centuries. This novel challenges prevailing narratives of global interconnectedness, exploring themes of language, mobility, and cultural exchange from a non-Western perspective. Jain will share insights into the challenges and discoveries involved in writing across distinct cultural and historical landscapes, offering a deeper look at how storytelling can traverse boundaries.

We look forward to an inspiring morning with Saskya Jain and a thought-provoking conclusion to this year’s Jour Fixe series!