Dada+Zurich in Anglophone Literatures

Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - 7.45 p.m.

Place: Cabaret Voltaire, Spiegelgasse 1, 8001 Zurich

Dr. des. Martin Mühlheim & students, in collaboration with the Cabaret Voltaire.

On February 5, 1916, amidst the carnage of World War I, a group consisting mainly of exiles from the combatant nations of Europe staged a soirée at Zurich’s Cabaret Voltaire. Despite the evening’s considerable success, few would have suspected that the event would spawn a polymorphous, transnational avant-garde movement – soon to be labelled Dada – that was to exert a lasting influence on twentieth- century art and culture.

This event will first outline the influence of Anglophone culture on the Zurich Dadaists (e.g. Edgar Allen Poe or Oscar Wilde) and then examine Zurich Dada's afterlife in English-language poetry, drama, and prose.

The PDF document included below is a slightly modified version of the Power Point slides presented at the event on October 4, 2016.

Mühlheim, Martin et al. - Dada + Zurich in Anglophone Literatures (PDF, 4 MB)