Radek Knapp

Go and find yourselves some part-time jobs!
With plenty of humour and self-deprecating wit, the Polish-Austrian author Radek Knapp spoke at a reading and discussion evening about his experiences as a writer, heating meter reader and market stallholder in the Austrian capital. By the end of the evening, many attendees had aching facial muscles from laughing so much.

Yet behind the humour lay a deeper dimension: Knapp spoke about his experiences of migration, about arriving in what was initially a foreign society, language and culture, about the search for identity, and about writing as a way of coming to terms with these experiences.

In a lively exchange with the audience, the author also addressed the dangers of virtual parallel worlds and emphasised the importance of direct human encounters – a connection to real life. It became clear that part-time jobs, in particular, can facilitate such encounters. Many students and participants continued their discussions even after the reading had ended.

The evening was organised by the Department of Polish Studies in collaboration with the Karl Dedecius Foundation and the City and Regional Library. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the European University Viadrina e. V.