Thomas Macho, Terézia Mora: Taking your own life

February 28, 2018, 8:00 p.m. (CET)

A reading and discussion

Time: February 28, 2018, 8:00 p.m. (CET)
Venue: Literaturhaus Stuttgart
Breitscheidstr. 4
70174  Stuttgart
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“In ancient times, suicide was still associated with honor, but as the Christian religion became more dominant, it came to be viewed as a disgrace and the ultimate failure”, asserts Thomas Macho in his history of suicide. But a profound change has been taking place since the beginning of the 21st century that has contributed to a new death culture. Suicide – as Walter Benjamin says – appears to be “the quintessence of the Modern era”. A person’s own death is often viewed as a “project”, designed by the person themselves and for which they alone are responsible. Thomas Macho traces the revaluation of suicide in various cultural fields: in politics – suicide as protest and assassination –, in law – the decriminalization of suicide –, in medicine – assisted dying –, and in philosophy, art, the media and in literature. Macho will also be talking to the author Terézia Mora, whose novel “Das Ungeheuer” (The Monster) 2013 won the German Book Prize. Her book focuses on a suicide: Flora, the wife of IT specialist Darius Kopp took her own life, leaving him devastated and broken.

Moderation: Daniela Strigl
Event language: German

In collaboration with the Literaturhaus Stuttgart.

Entrance €10 /8 /5 | students free of charge
Further information: http://www.izkt.de

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