»Der literarische Wiedergänger. Wie Felix Hartlaub zur Figur von Normen Gangnus' NS-Roman wurde«: Lesung und Gespräch mit Normen Gangnus, Andreas Platthaus & Matthias Weichelt

June 10, 2026 / 7 pm / Garden / Hall

Coming close to the past, exploring historical epochs and events, bringing their protagonists to life has always been one of the most interesting tasks of literature. In his novel "'... with torn sleep on his face'. Die Aufzeichnungen und Briefe des Arved von Sternheim" (Matthes & Seitz 2025), Leipzig-based writer Normen Gangnus has opted for a particularly radical narrative form: The experiences of his fictional hero, who is entrusted with procuring works of art for Hermann Göring's collection, are not told in novelistic form, but are instead depicted using documents, letters and notes.

Among the real people von Sternheim encounters in the novel in Berlin towards the end of the Second World War is Felix Hartlaub, historian, diarist at the Führer's headquarters and author of secret literary notes.

Together with the author, Andreas Platthaus (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and Matthias Weichelt (Sinn und Form, Felix-Hartlaub-Gesellschaft) will discuss the function of Hartlaub's character in particular, how closely facts and fiction are interwoven in the book, which questions of guilt and responsibility are dealt with, how strongly the atmospheric is underpinned by evidence - and how this creates an atmosphere of anxiety, fear and fatality that makes historical reality tangible with the means of literature.

Admission: 10,- / 7,- EUR ǀ Event in cooperation with the Felix-Hartlaub-Gesellschaft, supported by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Literarischer Gesellschaften und Gedenkstätten e.V. (ALG)

Discounts are available for disabled persons and their accompanying person (only if listed on the disabled person's ID card), unemployed persons, pupils and students (up to 35) as well as holders of the Leipzig Pass or a volunteer card, in each case only on presentation of the ID card).