Politics and Literature. Literary Work and Work Collectives

How much work lies in literature? Where can we find scenes of work, where can we detect the traces of work (literary or other)? What connects the craft of writing to the agony of working? In which texts do mental and manual work intersect? How did the labor movement of the 20th century influence literary work? And what about other social movements, where do they encounter the issue of “work”?

The book club “Politics and Literature,” discusses the topic of “literary work and work collectives.” We talk about the ways in which capitalist, alienated, exploited work is depicted in literature, but also what the literary depiction does to these forms of work. We assume that work can always enable other forms of social interaction: forms of solidarity and community. These forms go beyond what we usually experience throughout our work, no matter what type of work this may be: from solitary work behind a desk to secluded handcraft or subcontracted employment in hospital corridors or logistics centers. The book club searches for literary figurations of these different forms of community within the sphere of work.

Though starting from contemporary literature, we are also delving into the depths of the 20th century. We can talk about workers’ and factory novels, but also about novels that explore work beyond its conventional and legally regulated forms (i.e., housework, care work). We will also discuss novels that suggest or even demand quitting work.

The book club is part of the project The Cartography of the Political Novel in Europe. It consists of nine monthly meetings between October 2024 and June 2025 at the Literaturforum im Brecht-Haus. If you are interested in participating, please send a mail to caponeu@zfl-berlin.org before the 30th of June 2024. In your mail, please state who you are, what your line of work is, was, or will be, or why you do not (or no longer) want to work, and why you want to deal with work and literature at the book club. We explicitly encourage groups or collectives to participate. You can also suggest titles (not a requirement) as we create our reading list cooperatively.

To facilitate a continuous discussion, it would be great if you could participate in all meetings. It is not possible to attend individual meetings only. We plan to hold the meetings on Monday afternoons, but the official meeting dates will be scheduled together with the participants.