SEÁN HEWITT »ÖFFNET SICH DER HIMMEL« MIT DANIEL SCHREIBER

“When the Sky Opens” is the acclaimed debut novel by Irish author Seán Hewitt; a book about the longings of youth, about the tenderness, nightmares, and illusions known as love: James stands at a crossroads; he will soon be an adult. And he dreams of a different life far away: leaving the village behind, disappointing his parents, finally countering all of that with something alive and real. Because in sleepy Thornmere, everything always stays the same: his rounds as a milk boy, the church services, the constant worries about his sick little brother, the exclusion by his classmates. But then James meets Luke—a year older, insanely handsome, sent to the countryside by his dysfunctional parents to be disciplined—and over the course of a year, James finds himself at the mercy of new, uncontrollable forces, a longing that will change him forever, and a question that will haunt him for the rest of his life: Would I risk everything for the chance at love?

Seán Hewitt was born in 1990, teaches at Trinity College in Dublin, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Before *Öffnet sich der Himmel* (translated into German by Stephan Kleiner), he had already caused a sensation with his poetry and the memoir *All Down Darkness Wide*. Among other honors, he received the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.

Daniel Schreiber, born in 1977, is a writer, curator, and host. During a stay of several years in New York, he wrote, among other works, a highly acclaimed biography of Susan Sontag. With “Nüchtern,” he became known in 2014 as a best-selling and long-selling author. This was followed by, among other works, “Allein” (2021) and his latest collection of essays, “Liebe! Ein Aufruf” (2025).

“Literatour d’Europe” is the name of the series in which, together with the European Commission’s Representation in Bonn, we have been drawing attention to current literary trends in Europe since 2016: Twice a year, we invite authors from the country holding the current Council Presidency and engage in conversation with them—about Europe and the issues that concern us all, whether artistic or political, media-related or social.

In cooperation with the European Commission’s Regional Representation in Bonn
Supported by the Kunststiftung NRW