DISCUSSION: Fear Eats Ali

Fear Eats Ali is a forthcoming novel by Edwin Nasr written in a time and place of fear and loathing, that of Berlin in the aftermath of the October 7 events. It follows the trials and tribulations of Ali, a homosexual Lebanese immigrant, through a city gripped by suspicion and a renewed appetite for punishment. This performative reading returns to the novel’s preoccupation with masculinity, shame, and fantasies of violence. DJ and musician CEM performs a live guitar improvisation that moves between sparse repetition and dissonance. The music lends the text a martial, estranged quality; together, voice and guitar move through the psychic residue of a world organised around grievance and wounded pride.

The reading will be followed by a conversation moderated by Michał Grzegorzek, moving from the novel into a broader discussion of literature and music, practices of reading and listening. It will touch on contemporary Berlin, with its hideouts and traps; on memories translated into fiction; and on friendships forged in the dark.

The performative reading is co-curated by Michał Grzegorzek and presented as part of the exhibition Dirty Pages. Karol Radziszewski and DIK Fagazine at Galeria Studio.