In the organizer's words:

In his latest book Abschied(e), Julian Barnes ("Vom Ende einer Geschichte"), who turns 80 in January, looks back on an entire life as a writer: Which times were important and became literature - or does memory detach itself from what was and tell its own stories? Narrating means creating connections, but what is remembered and what is embellished or dramatized? And how do you keep control? Robert Habeck has also written all his life, both fictional and non-fictional (most recently "Den Bach rauf. Eine Kursbestimmung"). He asks which stories we live and which we write. How do you tell the truth - and how do you tell what could be true? An unusual encounter between two authors with completely different biographies. Together they talk about the question of whether we can invent our own lives. German text: Frank Arnold, translation: Sarah King, moderator: Tobias Rüther