"Two realities simultaneously" is a collection of speeches given at the seminar "Writing out of Exile". The symposium was held at the International Writers and Translators Centre of Rhodes, October 7th to 10th 1999, and dealt with literature written in exile, by writers in exile, or by authors who were self-exiled.

Contributing authors: Azar Mahloujian, Vassily Aksionov, Dostena Lavergne, Rönnog Seaberg, Vivi-Ann Sjögren, Narcisa Vucina, Rubén Palma, Boris Pankin, Nedim Dagdeviren, Uwe Friesel, Melan Salimi, Alexander Shurbanov, Eva Maria Slaska, Mary Ilia Papandreou, Fakhar Zaman, Mahmoud Doulatabadi.

What, then is Exile?

Involuntary emigration might look to one like ones own funeral.
-Vassily Aksionov, Russia/USA

For the Kurds, who are not respected in their native countries, exile is a common situation.
-Nedim Dagdeviren, Turkey/Sweden

Afro-American writers are not just allowed to write about being black and oppressed by racism - they are expected to write about it.
-Rönnog Seaberg, Sweden/USA

I think it is enough to say that I was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1954.
-Rubén Palma, Chile/Danmark

The old term in Persian ´nafye balad´ denial of the city´. The word used today, ´tabeed´, which means to ´send far away´can also mean to ´go far away´, and is more adaptable to the situation today. You ´go´ to exile today.
-Azar Mahloujian, Iran/Sweden

Choosing the language of writing becomes more an existential than a technical problem.
-Dostena Lavergne, Bulgaria/France

In other words: political exile brings you overnight closer to death.
-Melan Salimi, Iran/France