Cihan Acar: Casino

Cumali Karagöz is an important man in Steinheim, admired by many, feared by others, and some want to see him behind bars. Having gained wealth through a gambling business, he lives with his family in a lavish estate; his wife Hannah, who feels alienated in her role as a housewife and dreams of breaking free; his daughter Zaha, who idealizes and adores him; and his son Ediz, who suffers from social anxiety. When Cumali plans to open a large casino with a novel concept, the mood in the town shifts, and the family suddenly finds themselves in the spotlight. Casino is a major German-Turkish family novel – and the story of a megalomaniac man who oscillates between rise and fall, longing and greed, guilt and innocence. It poses a crucial question to his family about which side they stand on. The event will be moderated by Dr. Anton Knittel, the director of the literature house. Cihan Acar was born in 1986 near Heilbronn, where he currently lives with his family. He studied law in Heidelberg and spent some time in Istanbul and Berlin to dedicate himself to writing. His novel Hawaii was published in 2020 and won the literature prize of the Doppelfeld Foundation, the Thaddäus-Troll Prize, and the literature scholarship from the state of Baden-Württemberg.