When does the event start?

The reading and discussion begin on October 6, 2026, at 19:00.

Where does the evening take place?

At the City and State Library Potsdam, Am Kanal 47, in the main library area, ground floor, event hall.

How much is the admission fee?

The regular admission fee is €10, reduced €8. Only cash payment is possible.

What is the content about?

The focus is on the question of why so many East German writers have disappeared from collective memory and how GDR literature can be reread today.

Is there a moderation?

Yes, the event will be moderated by Marie Kaiser.

Is the event location accessible?

The library offers accessible entrances and facilities according to event and house information; for details, it is advisable to check with the City and State Library.

Carsten Gansel Opens a Window to the Lost GDR Literature in Potsdam

Name: Reading and Discussion with Carsten Gansel – Erased? How the Literature of the GDR Disappeared
Start: 2026-10-06T21:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-06T22:30:00+02:00
Location: Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam

An Evening About Memory, Loss, and the Power of Literature

Carsten Gansel brings a topic to the stage in Potsdam that continues to shape German-language literary history: the disappearance of GDR literature from collective memory. At the main library in the educational forum, scientific precision meets the intensity of a vibrant reading and discussion event.

A Book as a Cultural-Historical Investigation

With Erased? How the Literature of the GDR Disappeared, Gansel presents a literary-critical analysis that goes far beyond mere contemporary diagnosis. The evening provides a look at authors such as Christa Wolf, Uwe Johnson, Brigitte Reimann, Volker Braun, or Jenny Erpenbeck and questions the mechanisms by which works have been evaluated, suppressed, or reread after 1989.

Reading Atmosphere in the Educational Forum

The event promises not a dry expert discussion but a literary experience with intellectual depth. In the reading atmosphere of the event hall, a special charm unfolds when linguistic art, historical analysis, and author encounters intertwine. Moderated by Marie Kaiser, an evening emerges that makes literature palpable as cultural memory.

Why This Evening is Relevant

Gansel connects expertise in Modern German Literature with a clear stance on memory culture. His perspective on GDR literature, canon formation, and cultural interpretation struggles provides substance for all who want to not only read literary quality but also historically contextualize it. Especially in Potsdam, in the historical center of the city, this reading gains a special symbolic power.

What Visitors Can Expect

An engaging evening is anticipated with reading, discussion, and cultural-political reverberation. Those interested in literary studies, East-West debates, and the question of the place of GDR literature in today’s canon will experience an inspiring, intelligent, and atmospherically rich event. A visit is worthwhile for all who want to not only consume literature but also understand it.