Eight Books Explore Fragile Masculinity

A curated list of eight books addressing themes of male identity, belonging, and insecurity has been published on kulturnews.de. The selection includes works by Hugo Tepest, Fikri Anıl Altıntaş, JJ Bola, Édouard Louis, Mareike Fallwickl, Margaret McDonald, Res Sigusch, and Hanya Yanagihara. These texts tackle fragile masculinity from various angles, including personal essays, autobiographical novels, and fiction. Hugo Tepest's essay 'Sind Penisse real?' deconstructs norms around the male sex and masculinity, drawing on his own transition experience. Fikri Anıl Altıntaş's autobiographical novel 'Im Morgen wächst ein Birnbaum' explores Turkish-Muslim masculinity and his relationship with his father. JJ Bola's 'Sein kein Mann' is an introductory critique of patriarchal constraints on boys. Édouard Louis's 'Wer hat meinen Vater umgebracht' examines his father's brokenness and violence. Mareike Fallwickl's essay 'LIEBE JORINDE' proposes a new feminism of togetherness to bridge divides between progressive women and conservative men. Margaret McDonald's 'Glasgow Boys' is a queer coming-of-age story about two young men in a youth home. Res Sigusch's 'Unbegründete Ängste' follows a queer young man in East Germany struggling with self-doubt and obsessive-compulsive neuroses. Hanya Yanagihara's 'Ein wenig Leben' depicts the profound suffering of four young men in New York, centering on the traumatized Jude. The list was compiled by Paula Pugnat and published on kulturnews.de.