Deborah Levy - Brainwash Festival Opening Night
About the event
What does it mean to be truly understood? During the opening night of Brainwash Festival, writer Deborah Levy goes in search of The Shape of Us: the tension between individual and collective, freedom and connectedness. Expect an intimate conversation full of personal reflections and philosophical insights, followed by music, a drink, and space to talk further together. “Being apart is a different way of being together”
Perhaps living together is more about searching for the essence of being human than about finding physical resemblance or ideological consensus. For years, Deborah Levy has been exploring the complex emotions of our existence and the intersection where the personal and the political meet. In her novels, autofiction, plays, and poetry, she investigates the major themes of our time: freedom, identity, desire, power, authorship, and womanhood.
About Deborah Levy
South African author Deborah Levy (1959) has written, among others, the acclaimed novels Swimming Home, Hot Milk – the film adaptation of which was released in the summer of 2025 starring Emma Mackey – and August Blue. Things I Don't Want to Know was the first of three 'living autobiographies', a new genre that Levy created single-handedly. All of Levy's work is filled with philosophical reflections, complex feminist consciousness, and everyday observations. Always sharp, witty, and with an unerring eye for the absurdity of modern existence.
In her latest book My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein (De Geus, 2026), Levy explores the life and work of the legendary writer and art collector Gertrude Stein. Ultimately, she poses a question that is both personal and universal: what does it mean to be truly understood?
Book your tickets and get a head start on the Brainwash Festival weekend!
