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6:30 PM-9:00 PM
When the Stasi suddenly shows up at your door...
Lecture and Discussion |Charlotte Gneuß on her novel “Gittersee”
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Deutsche Botschaft beim Königreich Belgien, Brussels
- Language German
- Part of series: Foire du Livre de Bruxelles
Event as part of the Foire du Livre de Bruxelles 2026 at the invitation of the German Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Goethe-Institut Brussels as part of its Europanetzwerk Deutsch program
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Thomas Ernst, Professor of Literature at the University of Antwerp
Participation for EU officials and ministerial officials from the Permanent Representations of EU Member States and other invited guests
1976, in the Dresden suburb of Gittersee: Karin is 16, looks after her little sister, and helps her rebellious grandmother, who mourns her days as a Blitzmädel, with the housework. Karin's father despairs of repairing his Škoda as well as his family life, and her mother would like nothing more than to lead a different life. Karin feels at home with her friend Marie, the only girl in her class who doesn't want to do something later, but become something: the first woman on the moon. And Karin is in love: with her boyfriend Paul, who would like to be an artist but works in the Wismut mine. When Paul goes on a trip and doesn't come back, two men in uniform show up at the door one night, and Karin's world is turned upside down.
In this haunting debut novel, Charlotte Gneuß tells of a world that no longer exists and of the question of whether innocence is possible.
Charlotte Gneuß was born in Ludwigsburg in 1992 after her parents left the GDR. She studied social work in Dresden, creative writing in Leipzig, and dramatic writing in Berlin. She is a guest author for ZEIT Online, winner of the Leonhard Frank Scholarship for New Drama, and editor of the anthology "Glückwunsch", published by Hanser Berlin. Her debut novel "Gittersee" was longlisted for the 2023 German Book Prize and was awarded the 2023 Jürgen Ponto Foundation Literature Prize and the aspekte Literature Prize for “the best German-language debut.” In 2024, Charlotte Gneuß received the Nicolas Born Debut Prize of the State of Lower Saxony for “Gittersee” as well as the Grimmelshausen Sponsorship Prize in 2025.
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Thomas Ernst, Professor of Literature at the University of Antwerp
Participation for EU officials and ministerial officials from the Permanent Representations of EU Member States and other invited guests
1976, in the Dresden suburb of Gittersee: Karin is 16, looks after her little sister, and helps her rebellious grandmother, who mourns her days as a Blitzmädel, with the housework. Karin's father despairs of repairing his Škoda as well as his family life, and her mother would like nothing more than to lead a different life. Karin feels at home with her friend Marie, the only girl in her class who doesn't want to do something later, but become something: the first woman on the moon. And Karin is in love: with her boyfriend Paul, who would like to be an artist but works in the Wismut mine. When Paul goes on a trip and doesn't come back, two men in uniform show up at the door one night, and Karin's world is turned upside down.
In this haunting debut novel, Charlotte Gneuß tells of a world that no longer exists and of the question of whether innocence is possible.
Charlotte Gneuß was born in Ludwigsburg in 1992 after her parents left the GDR. She studied social work in Dresden, creative writing in Leipzig, and dramatic writing in Berlin. She is a guest author for ZEIT Online, winner of the Leonhard Frank Scholarship for New Drama, and editor of the anthology "Glückwunsch", published by Hanser Berlin. Her debut novel "Gittersee" was longlisted for the 2023 German Book Prize and was awarded the 2023 Jürgen Ponto Foundation Literature Prize and the aspekte Literature Prize for “the best German-language debut.” In 2024, Charlotte Gneuß received the Nicolas Born Debut Prize of the State of Lower Saxony for “Gittersee” as well as the Grimmelshausen Sponsorship Prize in 2025.
Location
Deutsche Botschaft beim Königreich Belgien
Rue Jacques de Lalaingstraat 8-14
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Rue Jacques de Lalaingstraat 8-14
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Participation only after registration.
