CULTURAL CRITICISM: Yoko Tawada moves between German and Japanese words – in line with Paul Celan or Roland Barthes. But did you know that tears contain the stress hormone cortisol?
SYRIA: A multisectoral, multi-religious, multi-linguistic and multiethnic state torn to shreds by the Ba'ath party, extremists, militias and rival superpowers, all demanding their share of the country.
REFUGEES: Unity is pulverized, everyone just thinks of managing on their own, surviving, tearing up an extra bite of food, a place in the food queue or the telephone queue.
route selection: Two asphalt pavers – one naive and dreary, the other rational and conscientious – are commissioned by a global and financially strong client.
Looking back on the protagonist Ma Doade's past as a Red Guardian during the Cultural Revolution, China Dream challenges the extensive forgery of history in China.
Yan Lianke writes books that cross borders and language differences and qualify to be referred to as world literature. But in his homeland his books are forbidden.