Tamar Noort: Der Schlaf der Anderen

The second novel by the Hamburg Literature Prize winner, who won over the press, booksellers and the public with Die Ewigkeit ist ein guter Ort: the story of two women who struggle to give their lives their own rhythm.

"A literary gem." Ewald Arenz

When Janis turns off the light and whispers "Good night", the camera is already on. As a night watch in the sleep lab, she puts strangers to bed and watches them sleep. The day-night rhythm that gives other people a natural structure does not apply to her. Janis has no family and lives alone. Only when she meets Sina does the desire for a different life awaken in Janis.
Sina is a teacher and has a regular routine. Nothing would stand in the way of a good eight-hour nap. When she comes to the clinic for a diagnosis of her sleep disorder and spends a night with Janis, she is able to let go of the crises that await her at home.
The less she sleeps, the more Sina's control over her family, her work and her whole life slips away. When she threatens to slip away, Janis is the only one who can hold her. Slowly, both women begin to free themselves from the pace set by everyday life.

Tamar Noort, born in Göttingen in 1976, studied Art and Media Studies and English Literature and completed the Masterclass Non-Fiction at the International Film School Cologne. She won the Hamburg Literature Prize in 2019 for an excerpt from her debut Die Ewigkeit ist ein guter Ort . Tamar Noort has held scholarships at the Künstlerdorf Schöppingen and the Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, among others. In 2025 she resides in the Heinrich Heine House in Lüneburg.

Moderation: Arnold Maxwill

An event in cooperation with the Fritz Hüser Institute