In the organizer's words:

January 19, 2026 / 7 pm / Leipzig City Library

Anja Kampmann in conversation with Clemens Meyer

In her new novel "Die Wut ist ein heller Stern" (Hanser 2025), Anja Kampmann tells the story of a woman's courage in a world that no longer wants to give her a place: Hedda has fought for her dream - to be an artist in the "Alkazar" on the Reeperbahn. But nothing matters any more when the new uniforms appear in the audience as a matter of course in the 1930s. The space for freedom narrows and things become dangerous for the girls in the variety show too. Who can Hedda still trust? Her brother Jaan signs on as a harpoon smith on a whaler for a trip to the Antarctic. And Hedda is also looking for a way out for herself and her little brother Pauli. Anja Kampmann tells a story of female self-assertion from a time dominated entirely by men in an incomparably atmospheric language that is not lacking in lightness.

Anja Kampmann was born in Hamburg in 1983. She studied at the University of Hamburg and the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. She made her debut with Hanser with the poetry collection "Proben von Stein und Licht" (Lyrik Kabinett, 2016). Her first novel, Wie hoch die Wasser steigen (2018), has been translated many times, was nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize and the German Book Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award in the USA. Most recently, she published the poetry collection "Der Hund ist immer hungrig" (2021), which was awarded the Günter Kunert Literature Prize for Poetry. She received the Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize for her work in 2024.

Admission: 10,- / 7,- EUR

Event organized by Literaturhaus Leipzig e.V. in cooperation with the Leipzig Municipal Libraries

Venue: Leipzig City Library, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz 10-11, 04107 Leipzig

Reductions are available for disabled persons and their accompanying person (only with entry in the disabled pass), unemployed persons, pupils and students (up to 35) as well as holders of the Leipzig Pass or an honorary pass, in each case only on presentation of the pass).