The spaces we use for the act of reading and writing are mostly private ones: in our own rooms, at our desks, at a table in a library, almost always in isolation from others, as if in a silent dialogue with authors, poets and philosophers. However, is it not the case that these acts performed in solitude can lead to a political awakening? Have reading and writing not fed, given rise to, and sustained collective political changes, movements and risings?

The guests in this public talk will be discussing the political potential that lies at the heart of literature. When is it activated? Is it in the process of writing, or in its reception from the individual reader? What interests do publishers have in shoring up or underplaying the political potentiality of work? What responsibility does research and academia have in assessing the political aspect of a piece of literature? How is political literature or politics in literature received today by contemporary authors, readers and publishers?
Starting with a broad understanding of 'politics' and 'the political' as the potentiality of instigating change and hope, but also anger, questioning status quos and addressing taboos, holding regimes and political instances to account, we will be putting these questions to a panel of authors, publishers and academics, as well as to the public for an evening of dialogue and exchange. We look forward to your participation!

This public discussion is organized in the context of the FSGS-Summer School "The Politics of Literature – Literature and Politics" and in cooperation with the Cluster of Excellence 2020 "Temporal Communities".