OCEAN VUONG: THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS
Following the worldwide success of “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”, OCEAN VUONG presents his new, moving novel, THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS. Hai, the queer son of a Vietnamese mother, lives in a desolate dump of a town in New England. The streets still bear the “Yes, we can” signs of the Obama campaign, but Hai is taking pills and considering suicide. Until he meets Grazina from Lithuania, a survivor of the Second World War. Hai becomes her caregiver and starts working in a diner where the customers are underdogs like him. “This is where the interplay of class, background, sexuality, young versus old and urban versus rural becomes crystal-clear.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). German text: FABIAN BUSCH; Host: SENTHURAN VARATHARAJAH
Contributors
Fabian Busch
Fabian Busch was discovered by Wolfgang Kohlhaase in 1992. In… This text was shortened for this overview. Follow the more-link to read the full text.
Ocean Vuong
Born in 1988 in Saigon, Vietnam, Ocean Vuong moved to the US at the… This text was shortened for this overview. Follow the more-link to read the full text.
Senthuran Varatharajah
Senthuran Varatharajah was born in 1984 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He… This text was shortened for this overview. Follow the more-link to read the full text.
Books
Der Kaiser der Freude
Ocean Vuong
Übersetzt von Nikolaus Stingl & Anne-Kristin Mittag
Hanser
978-3-446-28274-2
Event data
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Date:
Thursday
18. September 2025
18:00 -
Pre Pre sale price (fees excluded) 28 € | 24 € erm.
Eve Evening fund price 36 € | 31 € erm.
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WDR Funkhaus
Klaus-von-Bismarck-SaalWallrafplatz 5
Köln-InnenstadtPlease follow the checkroom instructions.
Bitte Garderobenhinweise beachten.
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Accessibility
- Induction loop Available
- Wheelchair friendly + toilets Available
- Assistance dogs welcome Available
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Languages
- Englisch
- Deutsch
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