Reading about violence and youth: Daniel Schulz at the Viadrina!

Reading about violence and youth: Daniel Schulz at the Viadrina!

Daniel Schulz, an aspiring author and journalist, will be a guest at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) on Thursday, March 27th at 7 p.m. In this reading he will present his debut book “We were like brothers”. This work addresses the violent upbringing of young men in the Brandenburg area during and after reunification. The event will be moderated by Kirsten Schroeter, the academic director of the Mediation and Conflict Management course.

The reading will take place in the Logensaal, Logenstraße 11, and no registration is required. “We were like brothers” describes from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy how old certainties dissolved with the revolution of 1989. Everyday life in Brandenburg and the constant threat of violence become a central topic. The book is explained as an important testimony about the Nazi terror after the fall of communism and its effects on young people.

Depth of content and social relevance

Critics describe “We Were Like Brothers” as an up-close story about growing up in a time of upheaval. The plot unfolds with the fall of the Wall in 1989, with the protagonist and a friend dreaming of a theft and an escape to West Berlin. The novel also deals with the disillusioning everyday life in the year 2000, when the narrator is in his early twenties.

Schulz's book is not only a personal report, but also reflects the social structures of the GDR and their disintegration. He examines the closure of factories and the return of expropriated gardens, as well as the cultural changes associated with them. Racist violence in East Germany is discussed, and the influence of this violence on the character formation of young people is vividly presented. These aspects make the work a reflection of the time and its aftermath.

A look at the author

Daniel Schulz was born in Potsdam in 1979 and grew up in several villages in Brandenburg. After studying journalism in Leipzig, he worked for various East German regional newspapers and as a reporter for the Berliner tageszeitung (taz). He has received several awards for his reporting on topics such as right-wing extremism and developments in East Germany and Eastern Europe.

“We were like brothers” is Schulz's literary debut, published in 2022, followed by his current book “I don't hear any more sirens - war and everyday life in Ukraine” from 2023. His writing is perceived as authentic and intense and contributes to the current discussion about the challenges of identity and society in East Germany.

The reading is the start of the conference "Take a stand!? Diversity discourses and conflict management", which will take place on Friday, March 28th. This event will not only promote Schulz's views, but also shed light on the cultural and political issues that have been present in German discourse since the fall of communism. It becomes clear that reunification, which took place on October 3, 1990, represents a fundamental break in society, not only for writers, but for all people in Germany.

Schulz's work and the book "We were like brothers" contribute to the emergence of a new generation of East German voices that bring fresh perspectives to pan-German literature. These young authors show that the confrontation with the past and the associated social challenges is far from over. As the political landscape continues to shift, the question remains how these new voices will be heard.

For further information about the reading and the conference, those interested can visit the relevant pages of Viadrina University and other online platforms.

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