Rafik Shami

When the motto of a children’s book festival is “At home in stories,” it’s hard to imagine a better person to open it than Rafik Schami. The German-Syrian, who is an incomparable mediator between the Orient and the Occident, could simply read from his wonderful literary texts, but he much prefers to follow the (not only Oriental) tradition of storytelling. Let us be enchanted right at the start of our festival!

Rafik Shami was born in Damascus in 1946. He finished his studies of chemistry in Heidelberg. Fortunately for all of us, he did not become a chemist, but an author. He writes almost exclusively in German. Rafik Schami has been awarded numerous prizes, most recently the Carl Zuckmayer Medal in 2022. He has lived in the Palatinate for many years.

Age recommendation: from 10 years
Language: German

As part of the International Children’s Book Festival

You can find further events of the International Children ‘s Book Festival here.

Rafik Schami has made his lecture at the Children’s Book Festival available to us in text form – for all interested readers, young and old.