Constantinopolis – A novel

Abstract

The project examines the conditions for the emergence of an ecological polis, an urban society that has achieved complete ecological integrity. How can food sovereignty, energy self-sufficiency, climate neutra-lity, ecological balance, political stability and an idea of the good life intertwine in an exemplary manner? I employ a literary approach to not only outline this question conceptually, but to make it aesthetically tangible. It places the tragedy inherent in human life in relation to an ideal of urban society. The project’s challenge resides not so much within the theoretical foundation of this ideal society, but roots in the inter-disciplinary approach to its literary nature. Interdisciplinary writing entails theoretical baggage from the very first sentence, which can hamper a story that is supposed to unfold by itself. This raises fundamental questions about the possibility of interdisciplinary literary writing, which I explore in this paper.