The Herder Centre invites Germanists, students and all supporters of the German language to an author meeting with the German writer Bernadette Conrad, author of the book 'Was dich spaltet'.

The event will take place on Friday, November 10, at 5.30 p.m. in the Herder Centre at 26 Ogarna Street and will last approximately two hours. The meeting with the German writer Bernadette Conrad (in German) will be hosted by Angelika Gajkowska. There will be an opportunity to purchase the book 'Was dich spaltet' presented by the author.

Bernadette Conrad's novel 'Was dich spaltet' shows how the war experiences of our ancestors can affect present-day relationships within the family. Kati, the novel's protagonist, tries to unravel the family riddles of her father, who hails from Gdańsk while risking a rift in her intimate relationship with her younger sister Eva, who defines her relationship with her late parents quite differently. But why is this happening? How could people who lived so close to each other when they were children later become so distant? Kati's relationship with her own daughters is also complicated... This is an account of a family's life strongly connected through their ancestors' experiences and experiences.

About the author:

Bernadette Conrad, born in Stuttgart, is a literary scholar by training, having studied in Bonn and Constance. She worked as a full-time journalist for many years, covering areas such as theatre, reportage, literature reviews and interviews. She spent many years abroad, in Italy and the USA. Since 2004, she has worked as a freelance cultural journalist, mainly for Die Zeit and Swiss media. For her journalism and freelance writing work, she has received many honours and awards, including Berlin Fellowship for Authors (2019), Feuchtwanger Scholarship from the University of Southern California (2014), a grant as writer-in-residence at the 'Villa Aurora' in Los Angeles (2013), a literary scholarship from the state of Baden-Württemberg for her book 'Die vielen Leben der Paula Fox', in 2011 the Ireland Prize for the best foreign reportage (2011), and the international award 'Walliser Medienpreis' (2010).

Bernadette Conrad's books published to date:

2023 ‘Was dich spaltet’ Debütroman, Transit Verlag, Berlin.

2019  ‘Groß und stark werden – Kinder unterwegs ins Leben’, Gespräche mit Cornelia Funke, btb, München.

2016 ‘Die Fremde – ein seltsamer Lehrmeister’, zus. mit Usama Al Shahmani, Limmat Verlag, Zürich.

2016 ‘Die kleinste Familie der Welt. Vom spannenden Leben allein mit Kind’, btb, München.

2012  ‘Die vielen Leben der Paula Fox’, C. H. Beck, München.

2006  ‘Nomaden im Herzen’, Libelle, Lengwil.