QUEER LITERATURE – Focus on the Balkans
As part of the project “Is Queer Political”
curated by Srdjan Knezevic
Fri. 8.12.2023, 19:00, QUEER MUSEUM VIENNA
former “Direktion”, staircase 2, Ground Floor, Baumgartner Höhe 1, 1140 Wien
The event will be in BKMS and translated into German.
by and with Lejla Kalamujić, Srđjan Knezević, Srđan Sandić, Mascha Dabić und Aleksandar Popov
A panel discussion on queer literature from the territory of the former Yugoslavia with readings and a pole performance
DJin LeCatt will conclude the evening
Moderator Srđjan Knezević, author of the queer novel “The White Room” and other short stories, will discuss the situation and position of queer literature with prominent authors.
Is it possible to speak of a queer literary scene in the countries of former Yugoslavia? Who are queer writers in these countries? How many of them have been translated into other languages? Which topics are particularly interesting for queer authors in the Balkans, what life problems do they face and how can they be made more visible are some of the questions we will discuss with our guests.
The author Lejla Kalamujić from Sarajevo will talk about her work and about female queer literature in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond.
Also invited is Srđan Sandić, writer, journalist and presenter of the literary YouTube format “Cruising sa Srđanom Sandićem” („Cruising with Srdjan Sandic“).
The program will be rounded off by the artist Aleksandar Popov with a pole dance between the talks. Aleksandar performs in the Belgrade clubbing scene and is also an activist for queer identities in Serbia.
Mascha Dabić will be translating into German.
Participants:
Lejla Kalamujić (*1980) is a queer author from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She writes prose, essays and reviews with central themes such as sexuality, madness and death. Her short story collection “Call me Esteban” was awarded the “Edo Budisa” literary prize of the Istria region in 2016, the same year she was nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature.
Srđan Sandić (*1985 in Zagreb) is a queer writer, journalist, literary and theater critic and columnist. He has published and edited for a number of cultural media in Croatia and the region. He is the author of several theater and prose texts and headed the program at the Multimedia Institute “Cruising sa Srđanom Sandićem” („Cruising mit Srdjan Sandic“).
Srđjan Knezević (*1980 in Novi Sad) is an author and artist; his first novel “Das Weisse Zimmer” was published by Wiener Achse Verlag in 2019. In his work, he deals with the connection between migration and homosexuality. Srdjan also organizes various events with a focus on queer literature and clubbing with electronic music.
Mascha Dabić, (*1981 in Sarajevo) is an author, translator and interpreter who writes in German and lives in Vienna.
Aleksandar Popov (1991) lives and works in Belgrade. He has been practicing dance since 2017, especially in the form of artistic pole dance. He places great emphasis on improvisation on the pole and on the floor. Through dance, he deals with topics such as sexuality, sexual trauma, gender identity and class.
*The event will be held in BKS and will be translated into German.
“Is Queer Political” takes place within the framework of Shift
