Event as part of the 31st Schwerin Literature Days
WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT: What It Means to Be Poor in Germany – A Reading with Miriam Davoudvandi
For a long time, she steered clear of boys, because Miriam Davoudvandi knew that eventually every guy would see the inside of her apartment: the shabby public housing complex surrounded by single-family homes, the cluttered rooms, the worn-out bathroom. The shame of having nothing to offer and not belonging has shaped Miriam Davoudvandi at least since she started school—and it remains a part of her to this day.
She has since climbed the social ladder and earns more than her parents ever did. Her conclusion: Money actually makes you very happy. But at what cost? And what impact have her experiences had on her? In a candid and moving account, Miriam Davoudvandi explains what it means to be poor in Germany. In doing so, she looks not only at the obvious settings of poverty but also at aspects such as dating, friendships, starting a family, and mental health, as well as the significance of television and life as the first person in her family to attend college. And she shows why the poor are disadvantaged even when they die.
Miriam Davoudvandi, born in Bucharest in 1992 to a Romanian mother and an Iranian father, grew up in a small town in southern Germany. She is a freelance journalist, host, and author; she has received multiple awards and hosts the WDR podcast “Danke, gut,” in which she talks with public figures about mental health.
Moderator: Marie Krutmann, freelance editor, journalist, and author
Tuesday,
, November 3, 2026,
, 7:30 p.m.,
, Kulturforum Schleswig-Holstein-Haus, Puschkinstraße 12
Admission
Box office: €14.00 / Advance sales: €12.00 (plus ticket fee)
Click here for TICKETS
Organizer
Cultural Office of the State Capital Schwerin
