60 Farringdon Rd
London EC1R
UK
‘My father and I head towards a nervous breakdown as he attempts to erase three years of Communist indoctrination in the course of a single evening. I simply cannot comprehend that Lenin, the friend of all children, is now allegedly an arsehole.’
When Mischka and her family flee the oppressive USSR for the freedom of Vienna, her world seems to divide in two: there’s life as she knew it before, and life as she must re-learn it now. As her family life falls apart, Mischka has to find her own way of living when her head and her heart are in two places at once.
Hear Austrian writer Julya Rabinowich read from her book Splithead (Spaltkopf) – translated by Tess Lewis; a tale of what happens when East meets West for one family. Splithead is a novel about exile, new departures and dead ends.
As refugees continue to tackle the dangerous journey into Europe, Splithead reminds us of the long history of migration within the continent and the colourful history those journeys bring with them. The reading will be followed by a discussion of migration and cultural inheritance and the importance of sharing such global stories. What does it mean to have your heart and your head in two different worlds?
This event is part of Wanderlust: Great Literature from Around the World, a monthly event series at Free Word that takes place on the second Monday of each month and celebrates the best fiction in translation.