Russian Culture Days 2021

This year the Russian Culture Days are being held trilaterally for the first time with events in Freiburg, Baden-Baden, and Basel. The spotlight of the six-week program is honoring the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Russian poet Fyodor M. Dostoevsky as well as his life and works.  “We’re very pleased that, despite the pandemic, we are able to hold the Russian Culture Days for the third time, and what is more, in an augmented form,” says Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Cheauré, the chairwoman of the Tsvetaeva Center for Russian Culture at the University of Freiburg, a registered organization. The Tsvetaeva Center is organizing the Russian Culture Days together with the International Research Training Group 1956 “Culture Transfer and ‘Cultural Identity’” of the University of Freiburg, the Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Freiburg, the Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Baden-Baden, the Philosophicum Basel, and many more cultural organizations.

A wide-ranging program

The events will begin at 6 p.m. on 16 November with a lecture from the emeritus Prof. Dr. Ludwig Wenzler of the Chair of Christian Religious Philosophy at the Catholic Academy of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. It is  entitled, “‘…geglaubt hat er an die unendliche Kraft der menschlichen Seele’. Fedor Dostoevskij und der russische Philosoph Vladimir Solov’ev“.  (“’ ... he believed in the limitless strength of the human soul’. Fyodor Dostoevsky and the Russian Philosopher Vladimir Solovyov”). In keeping with the trilateral character of the Culture Days, more events will take place in Freiburg, Baden-Baden, and Basel. Among these are the showing at Freiburg’s Kommunalen Kino of Akira Kurosawa’s film of the book “The Idiot” on 17 November and 28 November, as well as Sergei Loznitsa’s feature film “A Gentle Creature” on 24 November and 26 November.  Then, on 30 November at 7 p.m. at Theater Freiburg, there will again be a “Russian Salon” with Elisabeth Cheauré combining a lecture, a reading, and music.  The topic is „Sozialkritik oder Parodie? ‚Arme Leute‘ – Dostoevskijs fulminanter Start in die Literatur“  (“Social Criticism or Parody? ‘Poor People’ – Dostoevsky’s Brilliant Start in Literature”).

Different perspectives

The double exhibition “Dostoevskij. FrauenBilder” (“Dostoevsky, Images of Women”) and “Heilige Frauen. Dämonen. Toter Gott” (“Sainted Women. Demons. Dead God.”) will open on 25 November at 6 p.m. at Philosophicum Basel. “Both exhibitions allow a dialog of many voices and ‘views’ on the obvious and unfathomable spiritual sources that bind Dostoevsky’s work and Russian icon painting,” says Dr. Stefan Brotbeck, the initiator and president of the Philosophicum, a cultural and educational institution in Basel.  The theater performance by Maria Thorgevskaya „Böse Geister – das sind wir alle, Bericht von V.P. Stavrogina“ (“Demons Are We All, A Report by V.P. Stavrogina”) can be seen on 26 November and 3 December in Basel, on 2 December in Freiburg, and 10 December in Baden-Baden. In the work, Thorgevskaya addresses Dostoevsky’s novel, “Demons.” What is more, the rest of the Culture Days program offers additional lectures, theater pieces, excursions, and readings, as well as the mini-seminar on the topic, „Versuchungen der Freiheit?“ (“Temptations of Freedom?”).

Tsvetaeva Center promotes cultural dialog

The University of Freiburg and the city of Freiburg support the Tsvetaeva Center, which in the meantime has extended its activities far beyond the region around Baden.  The Russian Culture Days are being held for the third time, after earlier programs in 2017 and 2019.  Mayor Martin W.W. Horn emphasizes the cultural dialog that the wide-ranging program promotes:  “Freiburg and Russia have been linked for a long time.  A beautiful expression of that can be seen in Freiburg’s Tsvetaeva Center, the culture days that connect peoples, and allow the Russian culture to be experienced in Freiburg again and again.” University of Freiburg Rector Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein sees the Tsvetaeva Center as “representing the dialog in many ways:  academe and society, university and city, Germany and Russia – and now with Switzerland as well.”

For all events, the corona regulations will apply that are in effect at the relevant time and location. To attend the program offerings at Philosophicum Basel the regulations of the Swiss BAG (health authorities) must be followed.  There may be short-term changes in the program due to unexpected development of the pandemic.

Program

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Cheauré
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-98567, 0761/203-54081 and 0761/203-83 20
E-mail: elisabeth.cheaure@slavistik.uni-freiburg.de

Judith Burggrabe
Office of University and Science Communications
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-96769
E-mail: judith.burggrabe@pr.uni-freiburg.de