At our international book club event today, we welcome Daniela Dröscher, who will present her book Lügen über meine Mutter. The conversation will be conducted by Maike Albath.
Lügen über meine Mutter (Lies about my mother) is two things at once: the story of a childhood in Hunsrück in the 1980s, which is increasingly dominated by the father's fixed idea that his wife's excess weight is responsible for everything he is denied: promotion, social advancement, recognition in the village community. And it is a questioning of what happened from today's perspective: What really happened back then? What was concealed, what was lied about? And what does all this tell us about the bigger picture: society, which constantly affects us, whether we like it or not?
Relentlessly and impressively, Daniela Dröscher lets her child alter ego relive the years in which this "chamber play called family" took place. She succeeds in writing a novel that is as touching as it is clever, about subtle violence, but also about responsibility and care. Above all, however, this is a tragic-comic book about a strong woman who does not stop fighting for self-determination over her life.
All are welcome to join the live online event, it is not a requirement to have read the poems before. Participation is free of charge and the discussion will take place in German.
Daniela Dröscher, born 1977, grew up in Rhineland-Palatinate, lives in Berlin. She writes prose, essays and theatre texts. She studied German, philosophy and English in Trier and London, earned a doctorate in media studies at the University of Potsdam and a diploma in scenic writing at the University of Graz. Her debut novel Die Lichter des George Psalmanazar was published by Berlin Verlag in 2009, followed by the short story collection Gloria and the novel Pola as well as the memoir Zeige deine Klasse. Die Geschichte meiner sozialen Herkunft by Hoffmann & Campe. She has been awarded the Anna Seghers Prize, the working scholarship of the German Literature Fund and the Robert Gernhardt Prize (2017), among others. Since autumn 2018, she has been a minister in the Ministry of Compassion.
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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
We use Zoom for our meeting. We recommend the use of a headset, as loudspeakers can create disturbing echo effects. Participation is possible from PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device. To participate, simply follow the link we will send you after registration and sign in to the room.
