Pretalk to Jenny Erpenbeck with Ulrikka S. Gernes
FOR ANNUAL PASS ONLY – Come and hear about the difficult art of writing literature that revolves around unequal power relations when Ulrikka S. Gernes talks about her novel En pige forlod værelset.
Ulrikka S. Gernes is a poet, novelist and children's book author. In 2024, she received great attention with her critically acclaimed novel En pige forlod værelset (A Girl Left the Room). The novel is about the relationship between 14-year-old Tanja and the 46-year-old author Eg.
What is consent when it is not an equal power relationship? Then consent is taken away from you. You wanted it yourself, you are told, but he had taken my will and bent it in his direction!
– Ulrikka S. Gernes
With the #MeToo wave, literature about failure and consent has never been more present and important to articulate. With novels like Gernes' En pige forlod værelset and Erpenbeck's Kairos, power dynamics between older men and younger women are brought to the forefront. Here, difficult questions about grooming, sexualization and consent are addressed.
As a prelude to Jenny Erpenbeck in The Queen's Hall, Gernes will talk about writing about relationship dynamics, power, betrayal and responsibility. She will talk about which literature has inspired her in her own writing process of En pige forlod værelset, and the wave of literature that deals with unequal love relationships from a female perspective.
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International Writers Scene: Jenny Erpenbeck (DE)
Experience award-winning author Jenny Erpenbeck for a conversation about power and love during the final collapse of the GDR regime.