LITERARISCHER HERBST: Mother Earth

This fall, Matthes & Seitz Berlin is publishing two extraordinary essays in the Naturkunden series by two Leipzig-based authors who look at nature and crisis from very different perspectives. In "Broken Fire. Volcanoes and the End of the World", Linn Penelope Rieger explores the destructive yet creative power of volcanism. Magma formed continents, created mountains and habitats - and yet harbors incalculable danger. Rieger follows the traces of huge eruptions from Lanzarote to Indonesia, from Martinique to Italy. She tells of fear and grandeur, of hubris and survival and poses the big questions of origin and transience.
In "Protest", Mirjam Herrmann reports on political resistance in the face of the escalating climate crisis. She was part of the IAA blockade in Munich and the spectacular mashed potato action at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam by the Last Generation. When she herself is sentenced, she decides to serve her substitute prison sentence - to experience what imprisonment feels like for her own convictions and to test solidarity behind prison walls. Herrmann's essay is an uncompromising look at courage, cohesion and the fight for our common living space.
An evening about the forces of nature - geological and social - and how we face them, moderated by Ulrich Gutmair(taz).


You can find the full program of the Literary Autumn 2025 here: https://literarischer-herbst.com/