Book Discussion Group

We’ll read The Idiot  by Elif Batuman

Set against the backdrop of 1995—the dawn of the digital age—The Idiot follows Selin, a subline-focused, fiercely intelligent, and brilliantly awkward daughter of Turkish immigrants as she enters her freshman year at Harvard University.

At its core, the novel is a comedic yet profound coming-of-age story that explores the gap between language and lived experience. When Selin registers for her first email account, she strikes up a cryptic, cerebral correspondence with Ivan, an older Hungarian mathematics student. What follows is a slow-burning, intensely intellectual, and agonizingly unconsummated romance that unfolds mostly through a screen, leading Selin from the lecture halls of Cambridge to the rural villages of Hungary.

Batuman’s The Idiot is a witty, hyper-observant exploration of what it means to be young, overly read, and utterly bewildered by the real world. It captures the unique vulnerability of trying to construct an adult identity out of literature, linguistics, and the clumsy first steps of modern electronic communication.

We warmly invite you to join us for a shared reading and open conversation, where reflections and new perspectives are always welcome. No registration is needed — simply come along and be part of the discussion.

5 € I erm. 3 € I FV 2 € I in English

06/23/26 | 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM  Gleißbühlstraße 9, 90402 Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Nürnberg