At the Book Fair Frankfurt, on the picture with Sales Leader Claudia Hillebrand, Wallstein Publishing House
Between Languages – Personal Thoughts on Jehona Kicaj’s “ë”
Every year when the German Book Prize is awarded at the Frankfurt Book Fair, I choose my personal favourite.
This year it was the novel ë by Jehona Kicaj.
The novel tells of the consequences of the Kosovo war and of the search for language, memory and identity. The title refers to the Albanian letter “ë”, which usually remains inaudible. The narrator grows up as the child of Kosovar refugees in Germany. It wrestles with attributions, misunderstandings and the question of how language creates belonging or foreignness.
Although it is a very personal novel, it refers to the collective oblivion of the Yugoslav wars in Germany and Europe.
When I read the novel, I was particularly touched by something: the struggle between languages. German and Albanian do not simply stand next to each other here, but they shift, overlap, displace each other. Learning one language goes hand in hand with unlearning the other.
I found the scenes in which small linguistic nuances or unknown things lead to major misunderstandings. A word like “Faschingsfeier”, the example on page 80, is a natural ritual for many children in Germany. For newcomers, it can become a stumbling block. If you don’t know the meaning, you suddenly stand on the sidelines.
I remember how often I myself have experienced that terms that are self-evident for some are a foreign language in a double sense for others. And how hurtful it can be when this lack of understanding is read as a “deficit” instead of an invitation to explain.
For me, this is an important principle: using language inclusively.
- Don’t assume that everyone shares the same cultural markers.
- Understanding multilingualism as a resource, not as a lack.
- Create spaces in which questions are allowed and explanations are a matter of course.
If we understand language in this way, it becomes not only a tool of understanding, but also a resonance chamber. A space in which there is also room for the invisible.
The title of Kicaj’s novel is a strong image of this: the inconspicuous “ë”, often swallowed, barely audible, stands for the unsaid that nevertheless works. It reminds me that even what is not spoken out loud is part of our language. And that we can learn to listen more closely.
“ë” is a novel about the Kosovo war and its aftermath. But it is also a book about language as home and foreign at the same time. And it is an invitation to question our own language practice: Where do we exclude without realizing it?
What do you think: how can we design language in such a way that it includes more people instead of pushing them to the margins?
——————–
I am Bernd Scharbert and I support managers with the guiding principles for intercultural leadership. It’s also about how language shapes culture and how to deal with it in globally composed teams. If this resonates with you, let’s talk.
