Karnataka - Bangalore   

Reading The Reader

A scene from the movie The Reader.

BANGALORE: You have seen the film and now read the book. Or better still, discuss the work.

The Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, in collaboration with Toto Funds the Arts (TFA), is holding a book reading on the award-winning novel, The Reader, by German writer Bernhard Schlink on Friday at 6.30 p.m. The compelling story in many ways touches on the deeply transformative power of words and literacy, and this will be animated through reading and discussion. C.K. Meena, columnist, author and teacher; Arul Mani, Reader, English Department, St. Joseph’s College; Cheriyan Alexander, Professor, English Department, St. Joseph’s College; Srinath Perur, writer; and Avinash Kuduvalli, student, will discuss the book. The Reader is a tale about sex, love, reading and shame in post-war Germany. Michael Berg is 15 when he has an obsessive affair with Hanna Schmitz, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again.

But, to his horror, he does. Hanna is a defendant in a trial related to Germany’s Nazi past, and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime...

Mr. Schlink’s semi-autobiographical work, published in 1995 and later translated into 40 other languages, became the first German novel to top The New York Times’ bestseller list, garnering widespread attention in 1999 after Oprah Winfrey chose the title for her popular Book Club.

The novel is considered so important in understanding the country’s history that it has even been used as a textbook in German schools.

The Reader was made into a film by Stephen Daldry, with Kate Winslet winning the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Hanna Schmitz.

Entry is free to the reading. The venue is the Max Mueller Bhavan on C.M.H. Road. Call Ph.: 25205305/6/7/8 or visit www.goethe.de/Bangalore.

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