As reported by the FAZ, this year’s Frankfurt literature festival ‘Literaturm’ was held under the motto of East-West tension. 25 events explored the literary tension between East and West Germany. The 13th edition of the city festival ended on Sunday.
Sonja Vandenrath had recognized the relevance of the topic – not least because of the upcoming state elections in the East. The question ‘What divides us, what connects us?’ ran through the entire program. Forty years after the end of the GDR, the gravitational pull of social origin still weighs heavily, was the consensus.
One evening was dedicated to writers Daniela Dröscher and Marlen Hobrack. Moderator Miriam Zeh spoke with them about motherhood and family imprinting. Dröscher talked about her autofictional novel ‘Lügen über meine Mutter’ (2022), in which she wanted to understand her mother as ‘her own person’ – an ‘incredible liberation’. Hobrack’s book ‘Erbgut’ deals with a shopping-addicted mother and her legacy, which becomes an examination of consumer society and a social panorama of women in the GDR. Hobrack described her book as ‘betrayal’ because she tells a story that does not belong to her but concerns her.
Another highlight was the sold-out reading by Christoph Hein. The 82-year-old author, who like few others can tell of the GDR and the post-reunification period, read from his historical panorama ‘Das Narrenschiff’ (2024). Hein said he felt the impulse to write down everything he had experienced as his eightieth birthday approached.
The festival made use of Frankfurt’s vertical architecture: events took place in high-rise floors with views of the Main, Taunusanlage, and Europaturm. The weather was gray and rainy – unusually sleety for the season.
Source: www.faz.net
