Simone de Beauvoir wrote the autofictional novel “Inseparable: A Novel” in 1950, which was unpublished during her lifetime. It was not published until 2020 in France and 2021 in Germany. We take the publication as a nice occasion to talk about avoiding pigeonholes like lesbian or bisexual, vital female friendships and the socio-political dimensions of social recognition of sexualities, genders and identities. Perhaps the novel also provides answers to the question of how women are “made” into women. Of course, there is reading and discussion, perhaps arguing, possibly artfully.
The translator of the novel Amelie Thoma will read, comment and talk about the translation process. Julia Korbik will read passages from her book “Oh, Simone” and talk about her experiences with the French reception. Questions, contributions and comments from the audience are of course very welcome.
An event with Beauvoir translator Amelie Thoma and Beauvoir connoisseur Julia Korbik, moderated by passionate reader Kerstin Lück. In cooperation with the Instituts français, Berlin. Admission: 4€. 3G proof required. In German spoken language.
The event emerges from a long-running exploration of Simone de Beauvoir and the 2017 exhibition “Reading Simone de Beauvoir!” at the Schwules Museum.
Biographies
Julia Korbik (*1988) is an author and journalist living in Berlin. She writes primarily about politics and pop culture from a feminist perspective. Korbik is the author of several books, including “Oh, Simone! Why We Should Rediscover Beauvoir” (Rowohlt) and “Bonjour Liberté. Françoise Sagan and the Dawn of Freedom” (Hanser Berlin). In 2018, she was awarded the Luise Büchner Prize for Journalism for her work.
Amelie Thoma (*1970) worked for many years as a publisher’s editor before embarking on a career as a translator. In addition to Leïla Slimani’s novels and essays, she translated texts by Françoise Sagan, Simone de Beauvoir, and Eve Ensler, among others, as well as the youth series ” “The Mirror Traveler” and “The City Without Wind” into German, which also revolve around strong, idiosyncratic girl characters.
Kerstin Lück (*1963) has worked as a mediator and conflict moderator for over 25 years. On a voluntary basis, she moderates the MVs of the Schwules Museum, where things often get heated. As a young woman, she read Le deuxième Sexe by de Beauvoir first in German and then enthusiastically in French, and has seen the beautiful exhibition at the Schwules Museum in 2017. She looks forward to an exciting discussion and brings interesting questions about identity politics.