Fiction Writing
For my academic monograph, check here.
Writing has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, though it has taken many forms along the way: poetry and short stories at first, then theatre scenes and plays, three children's books co-authored with my wonderful wife, Rachel Seelig, and, more recently, a fantasy novel and a book of autofiction.
Children's Books: Together with Rachel Seelig, I have published three children's books: A Moustache for Carlo (2013), Lovely (2014), and The Chestnut’s Three Wishes (2021). Beautifully illustrated by Rachel's father, Michael Seelig, the books are available in both English and German. Please visit our Children’s Books Website to learn more. You may also enjoy the University of Toronto interview, ”Every word counts” say scholars turned children’s book authors (22 September 2021), which tells some of the story behind the project.
Theatre: My involvement with theatre began in the mid-1990s, when I started adapting plays and writing original scenes. It gained new momentum after I founded Theater DU (German Theatre Toronto) in 2010. In 2012, I wrote Drakul(j)a, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, followed in 2016 by Deutsch vom Fass – An Educational Journey in Nine Scenes, created for the 150th anniversary of the University of Toronto's Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. My current project, Zwischen zwei Ufern – Szenen einer deutsch-kanadischen Begegnung, was commissioned to mark 75 years of German-Canadian diplomatic relations and is supported by the German Consulate Toronto. The dramatic reading will receive its public performance on November 26, 2026, at Toronto's Monarch Tavern.
Fantasy: My fantasy novel, Der Abgrund der Fantasie, has accompanied me through much of my writing life. It began as a children’s story in the late 1990s and grew into something considerably larger during a two-year stay in Thessaloniki (2004-2006). At its centre is a boy growing up in a secluded village, unaware that he carries the legacy of mythical beings who once shaped the fabric of reality. As cracks begin to appear in the world around him - and within himself - he is drawn into a hidden realm of spiritual spheres, ancient rivalries, and unsettling transformations. After I moved to Canada to take up an academic position, the manuscript lay dormant for several years before a sabbatical in Tel Aviv (2013-14) drew me back to it. More than twenty-five years after its beginnings, Der Abgrund der Fantasie is now complete, and I am seeking a publisher.
Between Memory and Fiction: My essay Mein Jüdisches Paradox was published in MERKUR in August of 2026. Blending personal experience with literary reflection, it explores questions of Jewish identity, memory, and belonging. I have also recently completed Der Unsichtbare Schnurrbart: Autofiktionen, a collection in which memory, family history, and fiction continually overlap. At its centre is a man who gradually realizes that his Turkish heritage is slipping away and begins to wonder what remains of one's origins when language, memory, and self-understanding no longer quite line up. I am currently seeking a publisher.
Check out reading samples here. (Note: I write predominantly in German.)