Reading and Discussion with the Author
“Anyone who wants to know what the GDR was like and what everyday life was like there should read the literature that was written in that country…,” writes Carsten Gansel, author of the book published by Reclam in 2026, in his preface. In an informative and entertaining manner, he examines how and why the entire body of East German literature was nevertheless dismantled almost overnight. In doing so, he advocates for a dialogue between East and West on equal terms.
Die Bücherfreunde Greifswald e.V. invites you to a reading and discussion with Carsten Gansel on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., in the St. Spiritus Gallery (entrance on Caspar-David-Friedrich-Straße).
About the Author: Literary scholar Carsten Gansel was born in Güstrow. Since 1995, he has been the only East German to hold a professorship in German literature at a West German university for decades. He teaches at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, is a member of the PEN Center, chair of the jury for the Uwe Johnson Literature Prize, chair of the Christa Wolf Society, and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Center for the Study of Lessing’s Reception. In 2017, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for his services to literature. His most recent publications include his biography of Brigitte Reimann, *Ich bin so gierig nach Leben* (*I Am So Hungry for Life*), which became a *Spiegel* bestseller, and the new edition of Theodor Plievier’s novel *Stalingrad* (1946). He had previously made the *Spiegel* bestseller list with his edition of Heinrich Gerlach’s *Durchbruch bei Stalingrad* (1945/2016) and the new edition of Hans Fallada’s *Kleiner Mann, was nun?*.
Admission is free.
Organizer: Bücherfreunde Greifswald e.V.
