When Life Falls Apart: Three Novels Full of Depth and Wit

Description

What happens when life suddenly is no longer what it seemed to be? Simon Urban exposes the crumbling prosperity dream in the German luxury resort in "German Glück." Rainer Imm tells of the high price of social ascent in "Free Solo." And Lea Martin asks in "Tango in Istanbul" why we cling to what unsettles us. An evening that touches the soul. Simon Urban: "German Glück"
"German Glück" is a highly topical, sharp social novel that could be the German "The White Lotus": Seven fates collide in a luxury resort in the German provinces. A burning Tesla in Mecklenburg marks the zero point: Roger Ross, recently fired and without luggage, flees to the luxury resort "Eden" and radically reinvents himself. But the hotel is not a refuge, but a splendid final station for the illusions of our time. Because in "Eden," this crumbling fortress of West German prosperity, all guests apparently cling to a life that is long history: a TV comedian burned by a shitstorm, a tobacco manager who lost his wife to climate activism, a twin pair living on maternal pension, and an executive assistant who wants to save the resort with her murderous plan. This community of fate dances on the edge of the abyss. Bitterly evil and insanely funny at the same time: a literary reckoning with the illusion of beauty, where the German soul books wellness and gets madness.
Simon Urban, born 1975 in Hagen, studied German studies in Münster, studied at the German Literature Institute Leipzig. His novel "Plan D" (2011) has been translated into eleven languages, his advertising film #heimkommen counts with 70 million views among the most successful German virals ever. For ARD, he wrote the narrative template for the feature film "Exit" (2020). His novel "Wie alles begann und wer dabei umkam" was awarded the Hamburg Literature Prize. He lives in Techau (East Holstein). Rainer Imm: "Free Solo"
With "Free Solo," the Tübingen author and journalist Rainer Imm presents his sixth title – an impressive novel about social ascent from the confines of a social housing estate into the world of academics, about self-assertion, loss, and the feeling of standing between worlds. In powerful language, Imm tells the story of a boy from a milieu shaped by hardness, loyalty, and uncompromising sense of justice – who decides to escape this environment. But the price is high: with the ascent come alienation, loss of identity, and the painful awareness of not belonging entirely anywhere. "Free Solo" is an existential balancing act, rough, intense, and deeply moving. The novel avoids simple answers – and is precisely because of that so close to the reality of many people searching for their way between origin and future.
Rainer Imm lives and works in Tübingen. As a freelance author and journalist, he writes about social issues and personal life paths. His novels "Niemandssohn" and "Stahlberg & Co." as well as the football anthology "Bolzplatz – Das Buch" have already been published by Omnino Verlag, and two crime novels by Silberburg-Verlag. With "Free Solo," he presents his most personal novel so far. Lea Martin: "Tango in Istanbul"
Istanbul is Karen's big dream. She has been working towards this place for years, hoping to find a rebellious, defiant tango there. Shortly before departure, she contacts Mustafa, a man who is part of her inner landscape. A on-off relationship, driven by closeness and withdrawal, longing and irritation. Against all reason, they undertake the journey together. Once in Istanbul, the promise turns into an imposition. The city is loud, gaudy, coded male – no trace of tango. What follows is less a love story than a precise exploration of emotional dynamics: How does attachment form? When does closeness turn into self-loss? And why do we hold on to what unsettles us? Moving through Istanbul – in tango, conversations, in silence – Karen reveals layer after layer of her own patterns.
Lea Joan Martin started with poetry and journalism. Her love for reality and the freedom of individual words also shape her stories and novels: "I write about situations where people are destabilized by an encounter or relationship and are forced to reorganize themselves. It can have more humorous or existential, hurtful, and irreversible aspects."

Highlights

• Reading with Simon Urban, Rainer Imm, and Lea Martin
• Addressing the crumbling prosperity dream
• An evening full of depth and wit

General Information

The event takes place at Reservix GmbH in Weinheim and features a reading by three authors who deal with the challenges of life. Their works explore social ascents, illusions, and the German soul in a humorous and profound context.

Location

Schulstrasse 3, 69469 Weinheim, Germany

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