GQTTF × U–jazdowski
Silesian Gothic
The independent queer publishing label Girls and Queers to the Front is happy to announce the premiere of Silesian Gothic, a gothic novel written in verse by Anouk Herman. The publishers write about the book as follows: “a surreal sense of humor, the mythology of the Polish People’s Republic, the Silesian metaphysics of everyday life, and a love of concrete architecture intertwine in a gothic novel written in verse. The Deep South – it’s about hard work, honour, and the reflexes of a gunslinger. At night, ghosts haunt the slag heaps: bad boys, the spectres of Catholicism, the threat of unemployment. Most of the gold diggers are teenage girls, and Sheriff General Jorg faces the difficult task of holding the whole kerfuffle together.
This is poetry born from a fascination with the world around him, inspired by internet culture, popular music, and premonitions of immortality. The protagonists in Silesian Gothic jump between dimensions and visit places that disappeared from the face of the earth long before they were born. Is romanticizing a past that has never been experienced a symptom of unhealthy escapism, or just innocent fun? Is it possible to escape from adolescence anywhere? Herman uses their prose skills to harness not only form, but also the narrative. When our mothers and grandmothers pray to Saint Rita, the patroness of hopeless cases, we rely on magic.”
During the premiere, Anouk Herman will read poems from Silesian Gothic, and Emma Szumlas will present a performance inspired by the book. Accompanying the event will be an exhibition of paintings by Tyna Tokars (who illustrated the book), a screening of the video work Extreme Girl, and a set by DJ Peploid.
- Anouk Herman
- debuted with the poetry book Right into tramwaj (2022) and the novel Nigdy nie będziesz szło samo (2023). Their academic interests include femcel studies and issues of queerness and girlhood.
- Girls and Queers to the Front
- is a feminist-queer initiative founded by Agata Barbara Wnuk and Aleksandra Kamińska, operating in Warsaw since 2015. GQTTF organise concerts, events, workshops, literary meetings, performances, and discussions, host a radio show, and – in collaboration with Magdalena Rzepecka – publish a zine. In 2021, with editor Maria Halber, they launched a queer independent publishing label.
