Katharina Feist-Merhaut: Sterben üben

In the organizer's words:

You have to be able to do that first: write a book about dying that doesn't try to drag you down. With this author, nothing works without shrewdness.
Anton Thuswaldner, literary critic

"What do you want to understand about death?"

Katharina Feist-Merhaut wants to practise dying using her grandmother as an example. She observes, asks questions, takes excessive notes on her grandmother's sentences, breaks off to continue elsewhere. Grandma willingly makes herself available. She shares her experience, talks with great humor about her deceased husbands, the sauna ladies, the pain and the lovingly cared-for flowers. And she challenges the narrator: What do you want to understand about death?

In her search for possible answers, the granddaughter confronts the past, her previous experiences with dying and the other grandparents' double suicide attempt. Meanwhile, the grandmother's health deteriorates and her needs come to the fore.

Katharina Feist-Merhaut spent seven years writing sterben üben. The result is a touching debut that fearlessly tackles big questions: How do we learn to die? What influence do our experiences and imprints have? How can we care for each other? What role does the family play in this and are there alternatives? sterben üben is characterized by its immediacy, closeness and lack of pretense. A read with an impressive impact.

An empathetic, undisguised debut about death, dying and the universal fear of loss. And a visualization and questioning of the taboo subjects of ageing, care and care work.

May 12th is the International Day of Care and in this context we want to take a closer look at this topic.