Wencke Mühleisen - Harbour Front Literaturfestival

Reading and Moderated Discussion

“What else is typical at my age?”—a perfectly valid question that many people ask themselves. Is 50 the new 40? And 60 the new 50? Will we soon be retiring at age 70 (which is, in a sense, earlier than usual, since—supposedly—it’s the new 60)? And might a new honeymoon be on the horizon in our later years? Or what else might become “the norm”?

Question after question, with very practical and concrete consequences: What if there’s been no physical intimacy for years? What if you still can’t accept that and want to take a chance on a new beginning? And finally, what if the marriage actually falls apart and you’re already over 60? Wencke Mühleisen tells the story of an older woman over 60 who has to rearrange her life, and finds refreshingly clear words when it comes to sex and desire. Words that aren’t content with “what else is common.”

“I’m seeing Marie,” Erika’s husband tells her on the last evening of a vacation in Italy, just as she’s about to suggest they open up their relationship. For the first-person narrator, sex and intimacy have been missing from her long-term marriage for quite some time, and she hopes that opening up the marriage will bring new sexual and personal excitement. Instead, she learns that her husband has been getting all of that for quite some time from a woman 15 years his junior—namely, Marie.

This confession catches Erika completely off guard, and her whole world comes crashing down. But only temporarily. Soon, questions begin to stir within her. What options does a woman in midlife have after a long-term marriage? And is her urgent desire for passion and intimacy at this advanced age cause for concern? Wencke Mühleisen writes with nuance and worldly wisdom about a woman who discovers that you’re never too old to approach love anew.

In her novel, the author addresses the often still taboo subject of the importance of physical intimacy and sexuality for women of a certain age.

“Wencke Mühleisen writes clearly, straightforwardly, and intelligently, with empathy for her main character. Warm, witty, and well worth reading.” – Mareike Fallwickl

Wencke Mühleisen, born in 1953, has a Norwegian mother and a Slovenian-Austrian father. With *What Else Is Normal at My Age?*, she continues to explore questions of female self-determination in later life, following her previous work *Everything I’m Afraid Of Has Already Happened*.
Wencke Mühleisen is a remarkably courageous woman. In her youth, she worked as a performance artist and was part of Otto Mühl’s infamous commune for nearly ten years. She left the commune and contributed to the criminal prosecution of the cult leader. On the occasion of the 2025 Leipzig Book Fair, a remarkable FAZ podcast featuring her was released, addressing taboo topics such as sexuality in old age.