Katerina Poladjan
Katerina Poladjan, born in Moscow, lives as a writer in Berlin. She studied applied cultural sciences (philosophy and art) at the Leuphana University in Lüneburg. In 2011 Rowohlt published her debut novel In einer Nacht, woanders (One Night, Somewhere Else), in 2015 her novel Vielleicht Marseille (Maybe Marseille) and in 2016 the literary travel book Hinter Sibirien (Trans-Siberia). Poladjan has been nominated for the Alfred Döblin Prize and the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature and received the Berlin Senate Grant, the Grenzgänger Grant from the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Alfred Döblin Foundation Grant, and the Prussian Sea Trade Grant. Her latest novel, Hier sind Löwen (Here Be Lions), on which she worked during her residency at Tarabya Cultural Academy, was published in 2019.
Katerina Poladjan was a resident at Tarabya Cultural Academy from July to September 2017 and from March to August 2018.
Katerina Poladjan, born in Moscow, lives as a writer in Berlin. She studied applied cultural sciences (philosophy and art) at the Leuphana University in Lüneburg. In 2011 Rowohlt published her debut novel In einer Nacht, woanders (One Night, Somewhere Else), in 2015 her novel Vielleicht Marseille (Maybe Marseille) and in 2016 the literary travel book Hinter Sibirien (Trans-Siberia). Poladjan has been nominated for the Alfred Döblin Prize and the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature and received the Berlin Senate Grant, the Grenzgänger Grant from the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Alfred Döblin Foundation Grant, and the Prussian Sea Trade Grant. Her latest novel, Hier sind Löwen (Here Be Lions), on which she worked during her residency at Tarabya Cultural Academy, was published in 2019.
Katerina Poladjan was a resident at Tarabya Cultural Academy from July to September 2017 and from March to August 2018.
Blog post
Katerina Poladjan on a Reading Tour across Türkiye
On a reading tour of five cities, Katerina Poladjan will visit Izmir, Ankara, Çanakkale, Istanbul and Kars in October. The award-winning author will present the Turkish translations of her novels Zukunftsmusik (Gelecekten Nağmeler) and Hier sind Löwen (Bana Evimizi Anlat, Anahit).
Katerina Poladjan is one of the distinctive voices in contemporary German-language literature. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages and received major literary awards. She interweaves personal stories with the ruptures and interconnections of European history. Questions of origins, memory, migration and belonging are central to her work, as is the search for connection across linguistic, cultural and geographical boundaries.
In readings and conversations, the author will offer insights into her writing and discuss the experiences and ways of life that shape her books. The events will be moderated by renowned Turkish hosts, including journalist and writer Pınar Öğünç and literary critic and moderator Eylül Görmüş.
Katerina Poladjan was a fellow at the Tarabya Cultural Academy. Her most recent novel, Goldstrand, was awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in 2026.
Dates:
19 October 2026, Goethe-Institut Izmir
20 October 2026, Goethe-Institut Ankara, moderated by Eylül Görmüş
21 October 2026, Yalı Hanı Çanakkale, moderated by Pınar Öğünç – CANCELLED
23 October 2026, 7pm, TESAK Kadıköy-Istanbul, moderated by Eylül Görmüş,
26 October 2026, Kars, moderated by Eylül Görmüş
In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Istanbul.