31.10. Shida Bazyar, 2:30 p.m.
The Gaps
Heimesbach in the Hunsrück is a fictional town where ninety years of German history have taken root in its walls and the lives of its people. It is a community that actively conceals its past while simultaneously becoming a refuge for those seeking safety here. The novel takes us through the years and into the minds of those who shaped the village: from Jewish families who lost everything, to Nazi profiteers who reinvented themselves as innocent bystanders, to the Sharifi and Karimpour families, who fled Iran decades later. Shida Bazyar weaves a masterful narrative mosaic about the burden of history, the lie of a fresh start, and the desire to finally find a home.
Moderation: Tatjana Vogel
Admission
Shida Bazyar
*Born in Hermeskeil in 1988. She is the daughter of political activists who fled Iran for Germany in 1987 due to the fallout from the Islamic Revolution. Bazyar studied creative writing in Hildesheim and worked as a youth education specialist in Berlin. Today, she is the author of two novels and several short stories; in 2021, her book *
* (*Three Comrades*) was longlisted for the German Book Prize, and she won the Ernst Toller Prize in 2023, among other awards.
About the Author
Photo: © Tabea Treichel
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