Reading by Charles Lewinsky, Swiss German author and dramatist
The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and the Embassy of Switzerland in India invite you to an evening of reading and narration by Charles Lewinsky.

"MELNITZ" - chronicles of a Jewish family in Switzerland

Reading and narration by Charles Lewinsky, Swiss German author and dramatist 

The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and the Embassy of Switzerland in India invite you to an evening of reading and narration by Charles Lewinsky, Swiss author and dramatist. Charles Lewinsky will read from his family saga "Melnitz". The reading will be followed by an interaction with the author led by Prof. Dr. Jyoti Sabharwal, professor for German literature at the Delhi University. 

Saturday 18 October 2014, 07:00 pm 
Siddhartha Hall, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, 3, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 
The reading will be in German. English text versions will be provided.

"Melnitz" a family saga about a Jewish family. The story of this family evolves in the background of Switzerland between 1871 and 1945. The author portrays Jewish life over generations, providing insights into the Swiss perception on anti-Semitism.

Excerpt from Melnitz: They sat in all the trees, a swarm of black birds, playing chess with each other. Melnitz had carved the pieces out of bones; he could name the origins of every beaten peasant, his country and his family. He knew everything and wouldn't let anyone forget it.

'Enjoy your lives,' he said. 'You've been lucky, here in Switzerland.'

Every time he died, he came back.  

About Charles Lewinsky: 
Charles Lewinsky (b. 1946 in Zürich) studied German literature and theatrical sciences and then worked at several German theatres as dramaturg and stage director. In 1975 he joined Swiss TV as a producer, deciding five years later to become a freelance writer. He wrote a great number of books, plays and TV-shows. His best known works in the respective fields are: One hundred episodes fort he sitcom "Nearly a Family", the stage play "Friends, life is worth living", the script fort he movie "An Ordinary Jew" (starring Ben Becker), the musical "Gotthelf" (Music by Markus Schönholzer) and the novel "Melnitz", which reached sales of more than half a million in ten languages and for which he was awarded numerous awards. 

RSVP: ndh.events(at)eda.admin.ch