February 26, 2026 / 7 p.m. / Leipzig City Library, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz 10-11

The Leo Baeck Institute - New York | Berlin has opened its archive to authors in a unique literary project. Under the title "Stolpertexte: Literatur gegen das Vergessen" (Hentrich & Hentrich 2024), authors have gone on the trail of testimonies of German Jews under National Socialism, whose personal documents are collected in the Leo Baeck Institute's archive. This has resulted in literary texts that recall the lives and hopes of people who had everything taken from them under the Nazi reign of terror.

Dana von Suffrin and Olga Grjasnowa will read from their texts on this evening and then discuss remembrance, language and Jewish perspectives in Germany and beyond.

Dana von Suffrin, born in Munich in 1985, studied in Munich, Naples and Jerusalem. Her debut novel "Otto" was awarded numerous prizes, her second novel "Nochmal von vorne" was longlisted for the German Book Prize 2024. Her new novel "Toxibaby" will be published in March 2026. Her work is published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch.

Olga Grjasnowa, born in 1984 in Baku, Azerbaijan, published her debut novel "Der Russe ist einer, der Birken liebt" in 2012, which was made into a movie by Pola Beck. Grjasnowa's works have been translated into 15 languages and adapted for radio and stage. She is a professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Her most recently published novel is called "July, August, September". Her work is published by Hanser Verlag.

Free admission

Event organized by DAIS (German-American Institute Saxony) in cooperation with Literaturhaus Leipzig e.V. and TaMaR Germany. Supported by the Leipzig Cultural Office as part of the theme year "Tacheles. Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026"