photo: Christian Schirrmacher / CC
Ever since I left Warsaw for Berlin, it’s become one of my favorite pastimes to mercilessly scrutinize Wikipedia to come up with names of artists that have once been just as excited as me to settle in the city on the Spree. I succeeded in many such cases, for example took a closer look at the immortalized in many sources exile of David Bowie.
But as it turns out, not everyone enjoyed their stay to the same extent. Vladimir Nabokov, who lived here in the long period between 1922 and 1937 reportedly wasn’t a fan of the city.
Read on…
by Michalina | Stories
Wladimir Kaminer, photo: Katja Hentschel
Excuse me for repeating myself. I have to emphasize though, just how much of Berlin’s spirit is shaped by the many different parts and past particles floating in the air – stories that are engraved in house walls, moments that are carrying on. All the tears cried in bars, all the words spoken on park benches, every fight in front of a house: worth telling and still palpable. When you walk around the city, you don’t see them. But be sure to know: the city’s vibe is made of every single one of them.
Germany is the country of poets and thinkers, of word acrobats and phrase artists. A great deal of writers and poets have seen the light of day here and – at some point or another – lived in Berlin. We did some researching and now present to you part 2 of our series “Famous Exiles of Berlin” – the writers edition. From Kafka to Kaminer, we present to you a list of 10 famous and gifted writers and chroniclers – of poets, that graced this city with their presence at some point. Right after the jump. Read on…
by Yasmin | People
Excuse me for repeating myself. I have to emphasize though, just how much of Berlin’s spirit is shaped by the many different parts and past particles floating in the air. Stories that are engraved in house walls. Moments that are carrying on. All the tears cried in bars, all the words unspoken on park benchs, every fight in front of a house: worth telling and still palpable. When you walk around the city you don’t see them. But be sure to know: the city’s vibe is made of every single one of it.
To not get carried away in theories of time, let me get to the point.
Berlin has always been and still is a prominent place for poets, thinkers, musicians, architects, painters. There is something about this city that draws people in who expressed or express themselves artistically in any shape, way or form. Here is a selected list of musicians, who have experienced Berlin in one way or another. Next time you walk around in the city, maybe you feel a bit closer to it, knowing who has walked the streets before you. Get to know the famous exiles of Berlin – after the jump. Read on…
by Yasmin | Music, People, Stories
Iggy Pop, 1978, Berlin, photo: Esther Friedman
When I moved to Berlin in 2009, I was struck by two things. One was the strong feeling I had, a feeling that is hard to describe. It was a kind of peace that washed over my restlessness. At the same time, I noticed that Berlin was a meeting place, that people from all over were flooding into an open city. Berlin was a city of strangers and between them I sensed a beautiful solidarity. As a writer who has lived in several cities and had travelled much, I wanted to understand these things about Berlin. I soon realized that a certain kind of free spirit had been drawn to Berlin for a long time, and often for similar reasons. I wanted to know why. So in 2011 I began to write a book, City of Exiles: Berlin from the outside in, which was published in May by Noctua Press. After the jump you can read an excerpt from the second chapter of the book. Enjoy!
Read on…
by Guest Author | Books, Stories
