Friday 10 October 2025, 7pm, book reading with Baldur von Berlepsch
F. Sionil José By Ramon FVelasquez - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, LinkB. von Berlepsch reads from his book "Po-On - Die Quellen"
Baldur von Berlepsch from Vöhl spent several years in the Philippines for professional reasons and got to know the writer Franzisco Sionil José there. He accompanied the novelist through the landscapes and places where his five-part Rosales saga, which Berlepsch found so appealing, is set. He decided to translate this monumental work, which depicts the history of the Philippines over almost a century, into German. The saga begins in the colonial era of the late 19th century, describes suffering and oppression, deals with the period of the world wars, and culminates in the dictatorship of President Marcos, whose son still rules the country today.
Fortsetzung
Po-on is the first part of a saga consisting of five self-contained novels. “Po-on” is a word from the Tagalog language spoken by one of the many ethnic groups in the Philippines; it means ‘source’ or ´beginning´. The novel is set during the Spanish colonial period and tells the story of a family who flee their homeland and endure many hardships and adventures before finding a new home.
Baldur von Berlepsch not only reads from the novel, but also introduces readers to the history of the Philippines, a country that is very foreign to us, with its 7,641 islands, less than half of which have names and only 880 of which are inhabited. What makes this special is that von Berlepsch will be presenting the book at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 16. It is his particular wish to present it in his home country beforehand
Free admission, donations are welcome.