Wiesbadener Literaturtage

In the organizer's words:

The Wiesbaden Literature Days have been held in the Hessian state capital since 1986 and have become a cultural highlight. Czech writer Jaroslav Rudiš is curating the program for the 24th Wiesbadener Literaturtage, which will take place from 24 to 30 September 2025.

The railroad, books and beer: for Jaroslav Rudiš, the curator of the 24th Wiesbadener Literaturtage, these are the three things that hold Central Europe together at its core. The well-known Czech author and musician has therefore designed his festival program as a "common journey" and laid out routes from the past to the present and from the west to the middle to the east of Europe.

Since 1986, the Cultural Office, as the organizer of the Wiesbadener Literaturtage, has facilitated an interdisciplinary exchange that brings renowned personalities to the city every two years. The festival is supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, among others.

From September 24 to 30, international artists from the fields of literature, film, music and photography will be making guest appearances in the Hessian state capital.

Program

The journey begins on Wednesday, September 24, at the Thalhaus Theater. To kick things off, Annett Gröschner, Peggy Mädler and Wenke Seemann will present their discussion volume "Drei ostdeutsche Frauen betrinken sich und gründen den idealen Staat" in a reading performance and discuss clichés, East German identities and all-German problems.

The program continues on Thursday, September 25, with the "Poesiekollektiv Landschaft", consisting of Sascha Conrad, Ulrike Almut Sandig and Grigory Semenchuk. In the studio of the Hessisches Staatstheater, they will present an exhilarating ride through poetry, music and film.

"Voices from Central Europe" will take center stage on Friday, September 26, when the Slovakian author Michael Hvorecký, the Austrian writer and film director David Schalko and the Hungarian poet and performance artist Kinga Tóth discuss at the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine. Among other things, they will discuss the current political situation in their home countries, neo-fascism and the worsening situation of creative artists.

On Saturday, September 27, everything will revolve around the comic as an art form: Jaroslav Rudiš will talk to the two comic artists Jaromír 99 from Prague and Nicolas Mahler from Vienna about their shared admiration of Kafka, about the art of the graphic novel, but also about the cultural and historical connections between Vienna and Prague.

Prague is also the hometown of the Czech-Jewish composer Hans Winterberg, born in 1901, to whom Rudiš will dedicate a musical reading on Sunday, September 28. Under the title "Winterberg & Winterberg", he will combine selected pieces by the composer with excerpts from the protagonist of his novel "Winterberg's Last Journey" to create an artistic conversation between past and present.

The documentary "I am not yet who I want to be" by director Klára Tasovská, which will be shown at the Murnau Filmtheater on Monday, September 29, is about the time after the crushing of the Prague Spring in 1968. It follows the young photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, who searches for her own identity through her pictures and takes to the streets of Prague to do so. In poetic and sensitive colors, Tasovská paints the portrait of a unique artist.

To conclude the journey through the program of the 24th Literature Days, host Jaroslav Rudiš will give all literature and beer lovers a "User's Guide to Beer" on Tuesday, 30 September at the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine. This is the title of his latest book, which he will be discussing with author Marion Brasch, and Glyg will be offering a small beer tasting to accompany the reading at the Literaturhaus.

As a Literature Days extra, there are two excursions to the Rheingau-Taunus district: on Friday, September 26, Annett Gröschner will be reading from her latest novel "Schwebende Lasten" at the Idstein public library. On Tuesday, September 30, there will be a children's reading with Marion Brasch from her book "Winterkind und Herr Jemineh" at the Eltville media library for young literature fans. In addition, Jaroslav Rudiš will be presenting his "Instructions for Train Travel" to Wiesbaden school classes in a closed event at the Villa Clementine Literature House on Monday, September 29.

You can find the exact program with information on the schedule and tickets here!

Price information:

Both online tickets and Box Office available!