The essay form plays a central role in my work – as an object of poetological, literary, and theoretical reflection (for example, in seminars at Goethe University Frankfurt, 2016; Ruhr University Bochum, 2021; Berlin University of the Arts, 2023; and Literaturhaus München, 2024), and as a medium for my own literary practice (see articles in Merkur. Deutsche Zeitschrift für europäisches Denken and my book Trost. Vier Übungen). Poetological reflection and literary practice inform each other, and the insights gained from this interplay form the foundation of my work.

I approach the essay as a form that uniquely blends academic and literary writing. Its purpose is not only argumentation or the acquisition of knowledge; it is also a space for reflecting on the linguistic development of thought and the conditions of cognition. Essays always have a plot: the unfolding, transformation, and shaping of an idea. It is precisely this reflective process that becomes part of the essay itself, which is why I see working in this form as an aesthetic practice for producing and processing epistemic objects.

I am currently developing two projects. The first is an essay on identification, situated within contemporary discourses on gender identity. The second is a book project with the working title Stalactites. In it, I explore the extent to which obsolescence can be considered an aesthetic phenomenon, particularly in relation to immaterial objects. The book examines processes of obsolescence and the disappearance of certain lifestyles in the late Federal Republic of Germany, focussing on the connection between class affiliation and the use of (entertainment) media technologies. Objects of study include private slide shows, cassette recorders, memory games, copy matrices, and overhead projectors.

Contact: Hanna Engelmeier