Group 2015: New Syrian Literature From Here

On the very lively but largely unknown Syrian literary scene that has emerged in Germany since 2015

The year 2015 is seen as a watershed in recent German history, the effects of which continue to reverberate in politics and society. But as a result of the immigration of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Assad regime, jihadists and war, a rich Syrian literary scene has emerged in Germany. Berlin is now considered the capital of the Arab cultural diaspora, and Arab newspapers speak of a Syrian literary boom in Germany. However, the German public is hardly aware of this literary production. Translator Sandra Hetzl, who knows the scene inside out, talks to writer Rasha Abbas and playwright Mohammed Al Attar about the new Syrian literature coming out of Germany: Who is telling what stories and in what form? And what does it mean to write politically engaged literature in Arabic from Berlin?