Book Club in German

Der fromme Tanz (1926) by Klaus Mann

First published in 1926 as one of the earliest German-language novels to portray homosexual desire, Der fromme Tanz does not frame sexuality as scandal or a social problem, but as part of an existential and aesthetic search for self.

At its center is the artist Andreas Zumsee, whose path through the modern metropolis is shaped by a longing for intimacy, identity, and expression. The novel’s depiction of homosexuality also allows today’s readers to trace how the subject could be written about in the 1920s: explicit enough to make desire visible, yet articulated in a form that remained both literarily resonant and socially legible.

It is precisely in this tension—between openness and the need to remain “publishable” within the cultural codes of its time—that the book reveals its distinctive strength. The narrative becomes an early document of queer modernity and a portrait of someone struggling to reconcile desire with a viable way of life. A homosexual Künstlerroman of the Weimar Republic.

Nils Philippis 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 bimonthly basis to discuss works of fiction and non-fiction (novels, biographies, and essays) focused on or related to LGBTQIA+ themes and personalities.
• Anticipating insightful discussions, we choose the next book two months in advance.
• While the evening discussions are conducted in German, participants are welcome to read the selected books in their preferred language.
• Free event without registration

** This event is part of the we are village program ‘Belonging versus Lonelines‘, with the support of LADS.
Learn more about the program here.