Beyond the binary. Torrey Peters and Carline Tromp

Torrey Peters rocketed into the international literary scene with her debut novel Detransition, Baby, the first novel written by a trans woman to become an international best seller. Peters explores the complexeties of trans life, and compares transitioning to cis women starting over after a divorce: Everything you thought you knew about the future has to be scrapped, and you have to create a new identity that society doesn’t have any rules for.

The novel portrays Reese, a trans woman who always wanted children, her transgendered ex-partner Ames and his pregnant girlfriend. Can the three of them be parents together, and if so, what would that look like? Who are their role models? How can trans women creates good lives, when so many aspects of ordinary life are still unavailable to them?

Detransition, Baby, now available in Kirsti Vogt’s Norwegian transalation, gives a unique insight into the everyday dilemmas trans people meet. The novel was among other prizes nominated for The Women’s Prize for Fiction, and is celebrated for its complex trans characters and for painting a truthful picture of the New York trans scene.

Author and literary critic Carline Tromp will meet Peters for a conversation about gender, sexuality, family, and starting over.

The event will be in English. Peters will also give the talk «Did Hemingway write transgender literature?» on Wednesday 31. May at 19.00.