Paul Bokowski
Even today, Bokowski considers the Berlin reading stage scene his literary homeland. And he continues to be an important part of this scene. After many years with the popular weekly reading stage “Brauseboys” (Berlin-Wedding), Bokowski, together with the author and reading stage artist Kirsten Fuchs and others, established the event series “Fuchs & Söhne” (Berlin-Moabit). This reading stage is only held once a month and allows Bokowski more freedom to perform outside Berlin and to pursue his literary projects. Bokowski is also connected to the scene in his role as editor of the magazine “Salbader” which, every so often, publishes print-ready reading stage texts.
Many people are not aware of the fact that between his time with the Mainz Kammerspiele and his introduction to the Berlin reading stage scene, Bokowski led a completely different life - he was a medical student. Bokowski made the decision to be a doctor motivated by his intense but thoroughly positive experience in the accident and emergency department at the Mainz University Hospital during his national service. Today, he considers his degree an educational detour because, during that time, he learnt to develop skills which were also useful to freelance authors: the ability to sit still, structure, analytical thinking and not least personal accountability.
Bokowski considers himself first and foremost a humorous author who does not want to lecture people. But he makes no secret of his convictions, even if he does not want to force them on anyone else. He is unpretentious and matter of fact in addressing his Polish heritage and his homosexuality, which he lives openly. For him, justice means that each and every one of us, regardless of their skin colour, family heritage or sexual orientation, can lead a good life. Bokowski uses humour to expose conventions and mentalities that prevent this from happening. The author often takes on a journalistic role to express himself, most recently in the column “Substitut und Suggestion", which he writes for the Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig. And anyway, Paul Bokowski is no friend of standing still. As much as he is appreciated by his growing audience of fans - it also excites him to enter uncharted territories. That is why, for example, he ran a literary backblog in 2013 and in his Instagram account, instagram.com/paulbokowski, he combines images and texts in an unusual way.
So far, the author has twice been invited to this parents’ homeland. The first time in 2013 he went to Wrocław via the Willy Brandt Centre. The second time in 2015, Bokowski, at the invitation of the German Academic Exchange Centre (DAAD), went on a small book tour to Szczecin, Poznań and Zielona Góra. In these cities, his collection of stories entitled “Hauptsache nichts mit Menschen” was required reading for students of German – an international connection which delights the author. And when Paul Bokowski goes on his next book tour to Poland, he is certain to have with him the novel that he is currently writing.
Anselm Neft, june 2020
The author's homepage: ww.paulbokowski.de
