Lesung: Franz Kafka "Brief an den Vater"

In the organizer's words:

An evening with Franz Kafka's "Letter to the Father"

Reading, discussion and musicWithDr. Eva Lübbe, Simone Bartsch, Theres Pötzsch, Dr. Frieder Leistner and Markus König

The "Letter to the Father" is one of Franz Kafka's best-known works. This letter, which was never sent, reveals the tragedy of his difficult relationship with his father: "My letter is about you, I only lamented there what I could not lament in your breast." A century after Kafka's death, his texts still have a fascinating effect - between mysteriousness, menace and the uncanny.

The authors of this evening have dealt with their fathers or imaginary father figures in their own letters. Their very personal texts are in dialog with Kafka's haunting work. The event will be accompanied musically by Markus König, whose songs will add a further dimension to the discussion.

Kafka and Thomas Mann - a literary encounter

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka's death, while Thomas Mann would have celebrated his 150th birthday in 2025. The two great authors held each other in high esteem: Kafka particularly admired Thomas Mann's stories, while the latter treated Kafka's work with great respect. "Foreign but captivating", Mann noted in his diary about Kafka in 1951. Reason enough to look at his work in the anniversary year and view it in a new light.

Reading, discussion and music - a moving experience

The event will be accompanied by presenter Regine Möbius, who will moderate the readings and the discussion with the authors. Singing and music lend the personal letters and diary entries a special depth and emotionality.