Fear Eats Ali is a forthcoming novel by Edwin Nasr written in a time and place of fear and loathing, that of Berlin in the aftermath of the October 7 events. It follows the trials and tribulations of Ali, a homosexual Lebanese immigrant, through a city gripped by suspicion and a renewed appetite for punishment. This performative reading returns to the novel’s preoccupation with masculinity, shame, and fantasies of violence. DJ and musician CEM performs a live guitar improvisation that moves between sparse repetition and dissonance. The music lends the text a martial, estranged quality; together, voice and guitar move through the psychic residue of a world organised around grievance and wounded pride.
The reading will be followed by a conversation moderated by Michał Grzegorzek, moving from the novel into a broader discussion of literature and music, practices of reading and listening. It will touch on contemporary Berlin, with its hideouts and traps; on memories translated into fiction; and on friendships forged in the dark.
The performative reading is co-curated by Michał Grzegorzek and presented as part of the exhibition Dirty Pages. Karol Radziszewski and DIK Fagazine at Galeria Studio.
This event is part of the UNSOUND Festival discoursive programme organized in Galeria STUDIO. The reading and discussion takes place in the foyer of STUDIO. The admission is free. For more information check unsound.pl.
Edwin Nasr is a Berlin-based writer and curator from Lebanon. He has held curatorial roles at Ashkal Alwan and CCA Berlin – Center for Contemporary Arts, and has completed fellowships at de Appel in Amsterdam and Singapore Art Museum. His writings on politics and contemporary art were published in Bidoun, n+1, Afterall Journal, The Funambulist, Mousse Magazine, and Mada Masr, among others. He is the Senior Editor of Palestine is everywhere (TBA21, Silver Press and the87press, 2025). His debut novel, Fear Eats Ali, is forthcoming from Wirklichkeit Books and Wendy’s Subway.
CEM is a Berlin-based DJ, producer, and sound artist working across club music, composition, and performance. A co-founder of music collective Herrensauna, his wide-ranging and eclectic DJ sets move freely between genres, while his musical practice extends into records, performance, installation, and site-specific work.
