Media coverage and interviews
Mannheimer Morgen, report by Stefan M. Dettlinger, 27 January 2026. »On Monday evening, the PEN Berlin series of talks on the topic of ‘Heimat’ kicked off at the Altes Kino Franklin in Mannheim, proving entertaining. One of the moderators, Aron Boks, began the evening by asking the audience some simple questions, oscillating between bitter seriousness and a light-hearted approach. Dorn referred to the philosopher Bernhard Waldenfels, whose theory focuses on the concepts of ‘home-world’ and ‘foreign-world’. According to the philosopher, if the two worlds are not well balanced, fear arises. NTM artistic director Christian Holtzhauer can count the event as a success. The audience actively participated — something that should give Michel Friedman hope. At the end, taking up Friedman’s warnings, moderator Stiller urged, ‘Let’s stay alert! Let’s take action!’« LINK [€]
Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, interview by Alexander Wenisch with Ijoma Mangold, 26 January 2026. »I was born and raised in Heidelberg. Heidelberg represents my childhood and youth. When you live in the same place all your life, you don’t really have a sense of ‘Heimat’ — it’s simply self-evident. It’s like water for a fish: it doesn’t think about it because it can’t imagine life outside of water. It’s only when you leave this ‘birth biotope’ and move far away that you become aware of just how profoundly you’ve been shaped by the region, its mentality, its dialect and, of course, its wine. I value the Palatinate wine greatly. It was only when I moved away from Heidelberg that I realized just how attached I am to it. This is of course comfortable because from afar, everything tends to be romanticised and you long to return, without that longing ever really being put to the test.« LINK [€]
SWR Kultur, lesenswert, interview by Kristine Harthauer with Deniz Yücel, 23 January 2026. »People perceive reality through different media and live in different realities. They no longer engage in debate with one another. If you look at other countries — for example, Turkey or the United States, where these processes are more advanced — you can see the consequences of this fragmentation of the public sphere: an existential threat to democracy. You can’t just lament this situation; you have to try to overcome the fragmentation of the public sphere. This is the approach we take as a volunteer-run association, no more, but also no less.« LINK and AUDIO
Südwest Presse, report by Marcus Golling, 23 January 2026. »There is a fear of economic decline, unemployment, uncontrolled immigration, the far right coming to power, climate catastrophe and war. From PEN Berlin’s perspective, all of these issues are all too often discussed in closed circles. This time, however, everyone is invited, and admission is free of charge. Spokesperson Yücel says, “The biggest problem is the fragmentation of the public sphere. Our goal is to overcome this fragmentation a little bit every evening, in Calw or Bad Mergentheim, but also in Freiburg and Heidelberg.” This intention is reflected in the line-up of speakers, who include the sociologist Heinz Bude, former Green mayor of Stuttgart Fritz Kuhn and the writer Eva Menasse, as well as Steffen Mayer, state chair of the Association of German Criminal Investigators; BR journalist Julia Ruhs; and former AfD politician Joana Cotar.” LINK
Mannheimer Morgen, interview by Stefan M. Dettlinger with Deniz Yücel, 22 January 2026. »We talk about democracy not only in terms of polarisation, but also in terms of the fragmentation of the public sphere. Through this series, we aim to overcome this fragmentation and create a republican public sphere where everyone can participate by inviting everyone to speak, albeit not at arbitrary times or lengths, so that many can contribute. However, we are not afraid of freedom of speech. Last time, the result was controversial but civilised. Afterwards, people said, ‘Thank you for making that possible.’ We didn’t think it was possible anymore.’« LINK [€] and PDF
Berliner Zeitung, report by Cornelia Geißler, 19 January 2026. »Once again, PEN Berlin, the writers’ association, is addressing a sense of unease in society. Having organised public conversations on freedom of speech in 37 East German towns, from Annaberg to Zwickau, ahead of the 2024 state elections, the question of ‘Heimat’ is now taking centre stage. Many people are preoccupied by difficulties finding housing, inadequate transport infrastructure, healthcare provision, crime and loneliness. “All these and other fears can be bundled into a single motif: the fear of losing what is familiar,” writes PEN Berlin in the announcement.« LINK
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