"Laßt uns das Leben leise wieder lernen" - Befreiung 1945/46

In the organizer's words:

"Let's learn to live quietly again" - Liberation 1945/46

Book presentation and staged reading for the Leipzig Book Fair // Capa-Haus // Friday, March 28, 2025 at 7 p.m. //

In this reading book, Günther Rüther tells stories of the last months of the war and the immediate post-war period in 1945 and 1946 from the perspective of people whose thoughts and actions have been passed down in testimonies and reports:

In the days following the collapse of the "Third Reich", 17-year-old soldier Günter Grass was taken prisoner of war and felt defeated rather than liberated. US sergeant Stefan Heym, who was supposed to help establish a democratic press in the American occupation zone, celebrated May 8, 1945 by forcing a park ranger to let children play on the lawn. The following day, the Theresienstadt concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army. The actress Maria Kanová was also freed. Paralyzed on one side due to a stroke, she made her way to Prague, where her nephew Klaus Mann met her. In a letter, he described his aunt as a ghost. A panorama of expectations and hopes unfolds, reflecting the horrors of the recent past, but also the political and cultural awakening. The stories are framed by (post-)war events that often took place worlds away from the everyday lives of large sections of the population and yet affected everyone.

With the author Prof. Dr. Günther Rüther, the actress and narrator Iris Hochberger and the actor and narrator Christian Melchert. Moderation: Dr. Hans-Georg Golz (Head of Print Department, Federal Agency for Civic Education).

The event is part of the "Leipzig reads" 2025 trade fair program.

Price information:

Admission free!