Oliver Rohe

Oliver Rohe (1972, Lebanon) is a writer. He is the author of several works, including Défaut d’origine (Allia, 2003, new edition 2023), Terrain vague (Allia, 2005) and Un Peuple en petit (Gallimard, 2009). His is a founding member of the collective and magazine Inculte, and also writes radio plays and contributes to numerous anthologies. His books have been translated into several languages, including English, German and Italian. His latest work, Chant balnéaire (Allia, 2023), was awarded the Prix France-Liban.

His residency project focuses on two cases of unlawful and covert detention that took place in 2003 in Germany and Italy. Set against the backdrop of the Second Iraq War and its repercussions across Europe, this work combines documentary research with fiction to explore the conflicts between law and sovereignty. The aim is to provide a broader description of the foreigner’s condition in its political, material and linguistic aspects.