Description
Village Buchklub - Annemarie Schwarzenbach, Das glückliche Tal (1939)
Hosted by Nils Philipp
In Das glückliche Tal, Annemarie Schwarzenbach recounts a journey to Afghanistan’s Karun Valley, undertaken in 1939 together with Ella Maillart. What begins as the report of an expedition into foreign lands turns into a feverish record of inner states: the Swiss author, morphine addict, and cosmopolitan photographer of the interwar years moves from descriptions of the valley’s stark landscape increasingly toward herself.
Vivid evocations of nature stand in contrast to a fractured soul, torn between longing and destruction. At Schwarzenbach’s side appears Maillart, both companion and counterfigure, whose presence is charged not only intellectually and emotionally, but also erotically. The book is at once a Bohemian travel diary, shot through with melancholic self-portraits and sharp observations that echo her photography, and the testimony of a woman shifting between continents, genders, and social milieus—whose literary trace remains as dazzling as it is tragic.
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.
