Literatur

Taiwan is often portrayed as a model Asian democracy by the West. But how free and open-minded is the country really? Author Li Ang on a question she’s been asking for decades

Only those who already have something can settle for less. But for many people around the globe, going without things is no more than a pipe dream. A life spent living in and fleeing from the Central African Republic

What do you need in life? From Canada to South Africa to Pakistan, people around the globe explain what they can’t live without. Here Fatma Aydemir and T. C. Boyle say what is indispensable

What makes a building a beautiful structure? Ornamentation on the front? Or is a building beautiful if it houses as many people as possible? Can we separate the aesthetic evaluation of a building from its construction circumstances and the ecological and human price it cost?

The author Musa Okwonga hasn’t looked back on his decision to leave his home country Great Britain. On a life between Eton College, day-to-day life in Berlin and memories of Uganda

What once seemed significant for author Serhij Zhadan - irony, coolness, status symbols -  became irrelevant overnight when war broke out in his homeland. Now, collective solidarity and the fight against “evil” is what counts. How are the people in Ukraine affected by this sudden shift?

In a world of fast-moving news about the War in Ukraine and climate change, it is often hard to focus and take time to create art. But literature works on a different clock: It needs time to form and silence to emerge.

A woman is sitting alone on a bench on a shore in spring, waiting for her lover. A tale about a secret place by the water

Three new works of short fiction

How to write about things you haven’t experienced yourself.

A new generation of cultural workers is adapting to ideological norms. This spells the end of creativity.

About money worries and chocolate bars