Life, too, is nothing but art – on poetics and stories, his and hers

In numerous novels, biographies and essays, German author and PhD in Literature Angela Steidele has reflected history as present, art as science and love as provocation. During the seminar, Steidele will present her personal poetics as a writer who examines historical topics from the 18th and 19th centuries by drawing attention to the gaps in the tradition of the history of literature and ideas. Steidele's most recent book, Aufklärung. Ein Roman (2022), portrays the promise and abysses of the Enlightenment in Leipzig, with a particular focus on the city’s women as musicians and printers, poets and actors, and natural philosophers. Several of her previous books explore lesbian love in history, such as Männerkleider (2021), Anne Lister (2017; Engl. translation Gentleman Jack)  and Geschichte einer Liebe. Adele Schopenhauer und Sibylle Mertens (2010).

Chair: Cecilia Rosengren