18/05/2026
“Night and Ashes”: Literature as a Space of Memory – Book Presentation and Discussion with Swedish Author Daniel Pedersen
🗓️ 3 June 2026, 6.30 pm
📍 Seminar and Office Building, JLU Giessen, Room 003 (Rathenaustr. 10, 35394 Giessen)
🔗 Online paricipation: uni-giessen.de/nachtundasche
At a time marked by polarised debates, superficial and reductive portrayals on social media, a waning of direct historical memory, and mounting global challenges to democracy and human rights, the question of the social relevance of remembrance culture has become more pressing than ever. Can literature, within this fraught landscape, open up spaces for reflection, empathy, and responsibility?
These and related questions will be the focus of an event with the Swedish author Daniel Pedersen on 3 June 2026, to which the Arbeitsstelle Holocaustliteratur (.giessen), the focus area Holocaust Literature, and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (.jlu), in cooperation with the European University Alliance (), cordially invite all interested participants. The event, which is also an EUPeace Bridge Dialogue, will begin at 6.30 pm in the JLU Office and Seminar Building. Conducted in English, it will be accessible both in person and virtually.
Welcoming remarks will be given by Professor Alexander Goesmann, Vice-President for Teaching and Learning at .giessen. Daniel Pedersen will then present his book “Night and Ashes: Literatures of the Holocaust”. Previously published only in Swedish, the work explores the diversity of literary voices that engage with the experiences and aftermath of the Holocaust. The introductory lecture will be followed by a discussion with Dr Charlotte Kitzinger (CLAS), focussing on the contribution of Holocaust literature to a vibrant culture of remembrance. Its role in strengthening democratic values and fostering responsible public discourse will also be discussed.
Bringing together students, educators, and members of the interested public alike, the event seeks to raise awareness of the significance of literature in the context of memory, identity, and political consciousness.
