Buchklub

Napoleon Seyfarth wrote his infamous autobiography in hospital in just a few weeks, when his HIV-infecgtion had already taken his voice. By the time of his death in 2000, he had become one of the nation’s best-known Aids victims – he had refused treatment until the end – and was constantly faced with hostility from his brothers in spirit (and in bed). On reading the book, we discover why: not only did he pull to pieces his family and society while growing up in the Palatinate, but also the gay culture he encountered after moving from Mannheim to Berlin. Seyfarth is the enfant terrible of the gay movement, portraying the activism of the 1980s as petty and bigoted. He utilises the art form of autobiography to paint a fascinating and revealing portrait of the morals of his time with splendid gallows humour, shedding light on the blind spots of the gay scene like cleaning light illuminates darkoom. His legacy is a unique testimony to the city’s history and, not least, an entertaining read.

Nils Philipp is an art and architecture educator as well as a poet, photographer and decorator. After gaining insightful experiences as a janitor, lifeguard and deli vendor, he now works, among other things, as a bookseller. While he is waiting for his breakthrough as writer or art director, he reads plenty and with pleasure.

About the Village Book Club
Book lovers and bookworms have been meeting on a monthly basis to discuss works of fiction and non-fiction (novels, biographies, and essays) focused on or related to GBTQ themes and personalities.
Anticipating insightful discussions, we choose the next book two months in advance.
The discussion on January 7th will be conducted in German.