BOOKS & MUSIC: AN EVENING WITH BABEL PUBLISHING HOUSE AND ICE HOKKU (TEL AVIV)

BOOKS & MUSIC: AN EVENING WITH BABEL PUBLISHING HOUSE AND ICE HOKKU (TEL AVIV)

On October 22, Auditorium will host a literary and musical evening featuring two Tel Aviv-based projects — Babel bookstore and publishing house, and the indie-pop duo Ice Hokku.

The evening will include a discussion about contemporary publishing, a presentation of new books, and an intimate live concert.

Part One — A Conversation with Evgeny and Lena Kogan, Founders of Babel Bookstore and Publishing House

Babel opened in Tel Aviv in 2015 as an independent Russian-language bookstore. Over time, it evolved into a cultural space hosting lectures, exhibitions, and meetings with writers, eventually establishing its own publishing house.

Today, Babel publishes contemporary fiction, poetry, and works in the humanities, while also bringing unjustly forgotten 20th-century literary works back to readers.

During the event, Evgeny and Lena will present the publishing house’s latest releases, including Letters of Dark People by Armen Zakharyan, Smong by Viktor Vakhshtayn, and other titles.

The conversation will explore independent publishing, the process of selecting authors, and the challenges of running a Russian-language bookstore outside Russia. Guests will also have the opportunity to ask questions.

 Part Two — Live Performance by Tel Aviv Indie-Pop Duo Ice Hokku

Ice Hokku is a musical project founded in 2017 by vocalist Yulia Garnits and guitarist Anton Dmitriev. Their sound blends indie pop, electronic music, rock, and elements of Middle Eastern musical traditions.

Since forming, the duo has performed across Europe, Central Asia, Japan, and Vietnam.

One of the defining features of Ice Hokku’s live performances is their use of loop stations, which allow them to record and layer musical parts in real time. Guitar melodies, synthesizers, electronic rhythms, and vocals gradually come together to create rich, multilayered compositions.

At Auditorium, the duo will perform a selection of their songs in an intimate concert setting.