War and ghosts: Karim Kattan and Andriy Lyubka
Locations
Category
Price
Discount
Programme
this event is accessible for people with mobility impairment
Language
Alongside their respective works, writers Karim Kattan and Andriy Lyubka use their pens and their positions to alert public opinion and bear witness, again and again, to the horrors inflicted on their peoples. At the Passa Porta Festival they will engage in a dialogue that is more essential than ever, at a time when two wars are generating unnameable violence and hundreds of thousands of deaths.
In an opinion piece published in Le Monde in February 2024, entitled ‘We have learned to live without paying attention to death’, Ukrainian poet, essayist and novelist Andriy Lyubka looked back on two (now three) years of war in Ukraine, where death has become part of everyday life. He described the outbreak of horror on that morning of 24 February 2022, when he was due to board a plane to present his novel in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Last October, in Pourquoi Gaza a-t-elle disparu derrière des sophismes, des approximations, des murmures désolés?, Palestinian novelist Karim Kattan (Le Palais des deux collines, L’Eden à l’aube) challenged literary and intellectual circles about their silence regarding the situation in Gaza, which he described as a ‘field of death’.
what role for poets?
What is the role of poets in the face of war and what responsibilities do they have? And what power do writing and literature have in the face of the horrors of the Russian invasion and the violence of the bombings in Gaza? Speaking to author Rym Khene, the writers will engage in a discussion on the position of writers in the face of war. An exchange that is more essential than ever.
about the authors
Karim Kattan is a Palestinian writer born in Jerusalem in 1989. He holds a PhD in comparative literature. He writes in English and French. In 2017 he debuted with the collection Préliminaires pour un verger futur (Éditions Elyzad), a finalist for the Prix Boccace de la Nouvelle. His first novel, Le Palais des deux collines, received the Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie in 2021. He regularly publishes texts for Le Monde, Libération and Mediapart, and, in English, The Paris Review, The Maine Review and The Funambulist. His writings have also been presented in numerous art venues, including the Venice Biennale and the Berlinale Forum (Berlin). Shortlisted for the Prix Renaudot 2024 and a finalist of the 2024 Prix de la littérature arabe, his latest book, L’Eden à l’aube, won the 2024 Prix international Rotary – Pen Club and the 2024 Prix littéraire du 2e roman de Laval.
Andriy Lyubka is a Ukrainian writer, essayist and translator. He is a member of PEN Ukraine. In 2023 he became a member of the Taras Shevchenko National Award Committee of Ukraine. He has published ten collections of poetry, essays, travelogues and fiction. His novel Karbid was translated into English as Carbide.
about the moderator
Rym Khene is an author, photographer and editor. She holds a PhD in comparative literature and regularly contributes to journals and multi-author works. With Khalid Lyamlahy, she released a book of poetry and photography, J’ai rencontré un cheval de mer, published by La place (Brussels, 2022). Her most recent work, Alger, de mémoires en devenir, was published by Honoré Champion (Paris, 2025).
don’t forget about summer hour. on sunday 30th of march, hours will change from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Organisation: Passa Porta
Picture: Karim Kattan © R. Topakian
Coming soon at
FRMeet the author : Karim Kattan
L’écrivain palestinien signe un grand roman d’amour entre deux hommes à Jérusalem.
NLPortraits of ghost authors
portraits of authors in residence at Villa Hellebosh by photographer Alexandra Cool
FRBerlinde De Bruyckere : visite guidée littéraire par Caroline Lamarche
Une visite guidée littéraire emmenée par Caroline Lamarche.