Buchvorstellung „In der Nähe. Vom politischen Wert einer ostdeutschen Sehnsucht“ von Simon Strauß

In the organizer's words:

Book premiere: "Nearby. The political value of an East German longing" with the author Simon Strauß, moderated by Helene Bubrowski

Publication date: 15.11.2025

A person's happiness depends on being close to others. We live in times of distance. The political camps, the world's major power blocs, the city from the countryside - everything is moving away from each other. This makes it all the more important to take a closer look. Where is community still possible in the face of media-fueled self-righteousness? In his first non-fiction book, Simon Strauß finds a surprising answer: in the small town. This is where people meet as counterparts, where conflicts have to be resolved and compromises found. Here you get to know democracy all over again.

What makes for good coexistence? Using the small town of Prenzlau as an example, Simon Strauß explores how community can succeed, when it fails and the political significance of being in close proximity. What power does a shared belief in a physical place have? Is there still such a thing as a divided heaven or is everyone now only reaching for their own stars? A book that combines the author's knowledge of the first urban citizenships in antiquity with his curiosity for the problems of our present day. His powers of observation with his enthusiasm. The importance of proximity is first emphatically conceived here - and then considered in real terms.

Simon Strauß born 1988 in Berlin. Studied Classics and History in Basel, Poitiers and Cambridge. He also worked as a freelance journalist for the "Basler Zeitung", the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Internships and guest dramaturgy at the theater. Since October 2016, he has been an editor in the features section of the FAZ. In 2017, he published his narrative debut "Sieben Nächte" (Seven Nights). His most recent publications are Sieben Nächte (2017), Römische Tage (2019) and Zu Zweit (2023)

Helene Bubrowski is a lawyer, journalist, author and podcaster. Since the beginning of 2024, she has been deputy editor-in-chief of Table Media together with Michael Bröcker. Prior to that, Bubrowski was a correspondent for the capital city desk of the FAZ.

The event is part of the program accompanying the temporary exhibition "Ostblicke. Photographs by Sophie Kirchner and Philipp Baumgarten".

Please register via the homepage https://www.hdg.de/museum-in-der-kulturbrauerei/veranstaltungen