Der Trost des Wassers

In the organizer's words:

Caroline Wahl and Jessica Lee allow the hard-hit protagonists of their books to find solace and new courage to face life in the water. Caroline Wahl wrote the favorite book of the independent German book trade in 2023 with "22 Bahnen" and presents her new novel "Windstärke 17" here. Caroline Wahl has an X-ray vision for the abysses behind everyday life, as in her new novel "Windstärke 17", in which she has young Ida stranded on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen after the death of her mother and accommodated in the "Robbe" by the innkeeper couple Knut and Marianne.

Canadian Jessica Lee publishes the literary magazine "The Willowherb Tree", a platform for authors of color and nature writing. In her touching memoir "My Year in the Water", Lee writes about why she swam 52 lakes around Berlin to overcome her heartbreak.

John von Düffel, dramaturge (and artistic director from 2025), professor of scenic writing, author of numerous plays, non-fiction books and novels.

The eloquent swimmer with a passion wrote often and much about the element of water. Six of his books have the word in the title, and for this reason alone, John von Düffel is predestined to lead the discussion with Jessica Lee and Caroline Wahl.

Reading and discussion

Moderation: John von Düffel