CulturePublicIn-person

Elias Hirschl

Name: Elias Hirschl
Start: 2026-09-30T19:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-30T23:59:00+02:00
Location: Schwanenwik 38, 22087 Hamburg, Germany

Schwanenwik 38, 22087 Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Wed, September 30, 2026 (7:30 pm - 11:59 pm)

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Description

The event is fully booked in person; streaming tickets are still available.
--- ELIAS HIRSCHL
reads from his novel »Schleifen« If you are looking for imagination, independence, and a profound interest in language, this is the place to be! Just like in the multifaceted Vienna School, »Schleifen« is never just about the plot, but about language itself. But the plot is also compelling: Franziska suffers from a mysterious illness as a child: every symptom she hears or reads about immediately manifests in her own body. A word is enough, and her body reacts. With the help of a young mathematician, she discovers that words from dead languages help her protect herself from her suffering. From this experience, a joint project emerges: the search for a language that is unambiguous, non-harmful, and does not spiral out of control. »Schleifen« asks – very relevant today – how much language influences what we consider right. In a sophisticated way, »Schleifen« combines historical material with inventions. Time and again, what seems almost unbelievable in Elias Hirschl's work turns out to be true, and the rest is highly inventive. The Vienna Circle, mathematics, philosophy of language, and the political upheavals of the 20th century form the background. The critics responded unusually clearly to this novel: Clemens J. Setz calls »Schleifen« a »great ideas novel by one of the most delightful authors of our time«. The FAZ praised the »unrestrained thought-provoking wit« and a »firework of original ideas«. And the Süddeutsche Zeitung counted at least two thousand original ideas over four hundred pages. The thirty-two-year-old Elias Hirschl is a musician, slam poet, and author of literature, theater, and radio from Vienna. He received the audience award at the Bachmann Prize 2022. Moderation: Natalja Starosta In cooperation with the Harbour Front Literature Festival Photo (Hirschl) (c) Petra Weixelbraun

Highlights

Elias Hirschl reads from his novel »Schleifen«
In-person event fully booked, streaming tickets available
Critics praise the novel as a »great ideas novel«

General Information

The reading by Elias Hirschl takes place at the Literaturhaus Hamburg and is fully booked in person. The author presents his novel »Schleifen«, which deals with the relationship between language and identity and has been highly praised by critics.