TALKS: BERNHARD SCHLINK – GUILT ABOUT THE PAST

Internationally bestselling author of The Reader, Bernhard Schlink, is in town this month to talk about his collection of essays Guilt About the Past. The book looks at notions of collective guilt, forgiveness and reconciliation, in both a German and universal context. “The world is full of guilt,” Schlink says, “that has never been forgiven and which cannot be forgiven.” These thought-provoking essays ponder the Third Reich, Indigenous experience and colonialism in terms of forgiveness and reconciliation. “Reconciliation means freedom from the wreckage of the past, allowing it to be both remembered and forgotten.” For anyone interested in the effect of the past on a nation’s future, collective and universal guilt or reconciliation and forgiveness more broadly, this talk promises to address issues often shied away from in public discourse. Don’t miss your chance to get philosophical with this world-renowned novelist, essayist and thinker.

Aug 24, City Recital Hall, 2-12 Angel Place, Sydney, $20-25, 8256 2222 or cityrecitalhall.com