Lina Atfah in Hildesheim: Poetry Lecture on Flight, Home, and Language

Lina Atfah: Poetry Between Origin, Flight, and New Language

On November 12, 2026, the Hildesheim Poetry Lecture invites you to the Literature House St. Jakobi. Guest will be the Syrian poet Lina Atfah, whose bilingual writing connects Arabic and German language spaces. The evening promises an intense author encounter about memory, home, loss, and the possibilities of literary language.

A Distinct Voice of Contemporary Poetry

Lina Atfah was born in 1989 in Salamiyah, Syria, studied Arabic literature, and currently lives as a writer in the Ruhr area. Her poems are created in Arabic and German and unfold a precise, sensual art of language. At the center are experiences of flight, foreignness, and arrival, while she also focuses on the political and personal causes of displacement.

The Book of Missing Arrival

Particular attention is given to Atfah's poetry collection The Book of Missing Arrival. The texts combine poetic condensation with a clear imagery and explore what it means to live between languages, countries, and memories. The poetry develops its own narrative tension: It preserves the concrete while simultaneously opening spaces for reflection on identity, belonging, and cultural translation.

Poetry Lecture as a Literary Experience

The Hildesheim Poetry Lecture has been a fixed component in the cultural life of the city since 2018. This format brings outstanding voices of contemporary literature to Hildesheim every semester. Previous guests included, among others, Esther Kinsky, Doris Dörrie, Martina Hefter, Hannes Bajohr, Mithu Sanyal, Clemens J. Setz, and Kateryna Mishchenko.

Starting in the winter semester of 2026, the series will take place in cooperation with Weiter.Schreiben.jetzt. The Berlin initiative strengthens writers from war and crisis regions and gives them visibility in the German-speaking literary scene. As a result, the evening acquires a special cultural-political significance: Literature appears as a form of dialogue, remembrance, and intellectual self-assertion.

A Special Place for Language and Encounter

The Literature House St. Jakobi is located in a more than 500-year-old pilgrimage church in the heart of Hildesheim. Historic walls, modern literary work, and an intimate reading atmosphere come together here. The unique architecture gives resonance to the spoken word and makes the event a literary experience beyond the ordinary lecture hall.

Conclusion: Experience Poetry Live

The poetry lecture by Lina Atfah combines literary quality, cultural discourse, and immediate author encounters. Visitors can expect an evening with an award-winning poet whose work productively transcends the boundaries between Arabic and German contemporary literature. Entrance is free. Anyone who wants to experience language as a sonic, political, and personal space will find an impressive occasion in St. Jakobi.

Official Channels of Lina Atfah:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• Website: no official profile found
• Publisher: no official profile found

Sources:

• Continue Writing – Hildesheim Poetry Lecture by Lina Atfah
• Literature House St. Jakobi Hildesheim – Event Program
• Rausgegangen – Poetry Lecture by Lina Atfah
• Kulturium – Literature House St. Jakobi Hildesheim