"What is still common at my age?" (Germany premiere)

Description

With kind support from NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad) Reading and moderated discussion "What is still common at my age?" – a question all too justified that many ask themselves. Is 50 the new 40? And 60 the new 50? Will we retire at 70 in the foreseeable future (sort of earlier than usual, because it is supposedly the new 60)? And might there be a new honeymoon in old age? Or what could "still be common" become? Questions upon questions, with very practical and concrete consequences: What if all physical closeness has been missing for years? If one still does not want to accept it and wants to try again? What if the marriage actually breaks up and one is already over 60? Wencke Mühleisen tells the story of an older woman over 60 who has to reorganize her life, and finds refreshingly clear words regarding sex and desire. Words that do not settle for "what is still common." "I am with Marie," Erika's husband tells her on the last evening of an Italian holiday, just as she wants to suggest opening the relationship. Because Erika has been missing sex and intimacy in her long marriage for some time, and she hopes that opening the marriage will bring new sexual and personal impulses. Instead, she learns that her husband has been getting all that from a woman 15 years younger, namely Marie. This confession hits Erika completely unprepared, and a whole world collapses for her. But only temporarily. Soon, questions arise within her. What options does a woman in middle age have after a long marriage? And is her urgent desire for desire and closeness in this advanced age perhaps concerning? Wencke Mühleisen writes nuanced and wise about a woman who finds out that you are never too old to approach love anew. The author addresses in her novel the often still tabooed importance of physical intimacy and sexuality among women in advanced age. "Wencke Mühleisen writes clearly, straightforwardly, and intelligently, with empathy for her main character. Warm-hearted, witty, and very worth reading." – Mareike Fallwickl Wencke Mühleisen, born in 1953, has a Norwegian mother and a Slovenian-Austrian father. With "What is still common at my age?" she continues the questions of female self-determination in advanced age, following "Everything I fear 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 almost ten years. She left and contributed to the criminal prosecution of the sect leader. On the occasion of the Leipzig Book Fair 2025, a remarkable FAZ podcast with her on taboo topics such as sexuality in old age.

Highlights

• Germany premiere of the reading
• Moderated discussion about relationships in old age
• With kind support from NORLA

General Information

The event "What is still common at my age?" takes place at the Kent Club in Hamburg. It addresses the challenges and changes in relationships for people over 60 and offers a reading by Wencke Mühleisen as well as a moderated discussion.

Location

Stresemannstraße 163, 22769 Hamburg, Germany

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