Reading & Talk | Moderation: Uva Piterane (Literaturhaus Rostock)
Prize of the Houses of Literature 2026
In the first bond of our lives, the whole cosmos of human relationships comes to light. And so Lena Gorelik explores different perspectives on this complex, often lifelong relationship, not just her own as a daughter and mother. This clever and touching novel is also about the mothers we try to be: how we sometimes fail, doubt, stumble. The fears that accompany us. What binds us and shapes us, what holds us back. And also about what it means to be an unwanted mother or not to be a mother, to accept a child, to lose a child or not to be able to let go. This book is for everyone.
Lena Gorelik, born in St. Petersburg in 1981, came to Germany in 1992. Her novel "Hochzeit in Jerusalem" was nominated for the German Book Prize, her book for young people "Mehr Schwarz als Lila" for the German Youth Literature Prize. Her novel "Wer wir sind" was published in 2021 and received rave reviews. In 2024, Lena was awarded the Heinrich Mann Prize for Essay Writing and in 2026 the Prize of the Houses of Literature.
