In collaboration with the Faculty of Literature and Linguistics of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, on behalf of the Organizing Committee of European Literature Days in Vietnam 2026, Goethe-Institut cordially invites researchers, lecturers, doctoral candidates, graduate students, undergraduates, and all those interested in literature to attend the talk: "Is the Other Hell?: Loneliness and Fragile Forms of Connection in Literature"

The talk is organized to open an interdisciplinary dialogue space between literature, philosophy, and psychology to reflect on the paradox of loneliness in contemporary life: the most intense states of loneliness often arise in conditions of physical closeness or within the most intimate relationships.

We are not only lonely in a sea of strangers; we can feel lost from ourselves even when standing beside those closest to us. Does sharing intimate spaces with others help us establish connection more easily, or do the frictions of close personal life trap us within gazes, judgments, and a shared history we cannot escape?

At the talk, three writers - speakers from Germany, Austria, and Vietnam will come together to dissect the structure of hidden fractures left unspoken, revealing the fragility of human beings:

Miku Sophie Kühmel: uncovering secrets and invisible distances beneath the calm surface of long-term relationships, reflecting on intergenerational traumas that remain unspoken.
Peter Simon Altmann: observing existential loneliness and the sense of alienation in modern individuals.
Nguyễn Khắc Ngân Vi: unpacking the instability of love and fragile bonds in contemporary urban life.

Moderator: Dr. Trần Tịnh Vy – Lecturer, Faculty of Literature and Linguistics.
Language: English (with Vietnamese interpretation).

Program information:

Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM, 14/5/2026 (Thursday)
Location: Room D201-202, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNUHCM (10-12 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Saigon Ward, HCMC)
Registration: https://byvn.net/vN5v
(To ensure proper arrangements, please register before 12/5/2026).

Information about the event "European Literature Days in Vietnam 2026: https://www.goethe.de/ins/vn/vi/kul/urb/elt.html