Ute Wegmann: Alles soll der weiß sein (Literaturtage Recklinghausen 2026)

Ute Wegmann: “Everything Should Be Very White” – Three Generations of Women Through the Changing Times

In her novel *Everything Should Be Very White*, Ute Wegmann tells the story of three women whose lives are closely intertwined with the social upheavals of the 20th century.

The story centers on a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter—Hertha, Ellen, and Dora—whose life stories unfold between 1930 and 1990. During World War II, Hertha works in a convent laundry that is converted into a military hospital under Nazi rule, a situation that demands its own form of survival. As a young woman during the Economic Miracle, her daughter Ellen helps build up the family business and experiences the dawn of a new era. Finally, Dora leaves the village, goes to college, and becomes part of a generation shaped by the student movement and society’s coming to terms with its Nazi past—while within the family, silence often prevails.

The novel intertwines personal memories with historical developments and shows how work, gender roles, and societal expectations shape women’s lives across generations.

A powerful portrait of women’s lived realities amid the tensions of war, reconstruction, and social change.