One morning late in May, between 3 and 6am, a group of lonely men and women wait to be brought together, like the elements in an equation. Ernst Spengler is about to throw himself out his window. Mylia, terminally ill and in enormous pain, goes out to visit a church. Hinnerk Obst, who’s always been told by the neighborhood children that he looks like a murderer, walks the streets with a loaded gun. As these characters are manipulated and brought together, a world of violence, fear, pain, and uncertainty is portrayed, where human nature itself, and the mechanisms determining our actions, our fictions, and the elements of our imagination, are laid bare. Jerusalem is a terrifying and grimly humorous summation of the possibilities and limits of the human condition at the beginning of the 21st century. Gonçalo M. Taveres was hailed by José Saramago as the best writer of his generation and is considered to be a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Presenter: TBD
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:
- Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
- Book presentation (20-30 minutes)
- A brief history of the author’s life
- A short summary of the book
- Main ideas/themes
- Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
- Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)
Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting, but encouraged if you want to actively participate in the discussion.
We look forward to seeing you all!
Upcoming events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/future
Past events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/_past
Presentation slides (recent): https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/slides-2026
