Mely Kiyak and Wolfram Lotz, both masters of the short form, read hymns to everyday life, eulogies to humanity, and speak about the urge to answer big political questions clearly and directly with poetry.

Conjectures About Reality: Of Small Dreams

Ost-Passage Theater

Martina Hefter presents her new novel, Thorsten Ahrend moderates, live music by Hallo Volte

Martina Hefter „Nach der Sonne schauen“ – Book Launch

Residenz

Jörg Schieke (Leipzig) and Lutz Seiler (Berlin)

Lyrikhotel Zwei

Alte Post Lindenau

Reading from the new issue and presentation from a workshop on literary transformations. The participants of a writing workshop on the theme of metamorphoses present their literary transformations; afterward, Sonali Beher, Vanessa Onwuemezi and Jannis Weu read from the new issue of Edit °97. Moderated by Giorgio Ferretti.

Edit °97 Release

Heizhaus

A poetic revue about dying with Mely Kiyak and Jan Kuhlbrodt. Life and death are one, Mely Kiyak and Jan Kuhlbrodt believe. Together, graduates of the German Literature Institute Leipzig show, through stories and poems, why writing about death is unavoidable, yet also consoling and beautiful.

Nobody Gets Out Alive

Südfriedhof, Trauerhalle West

Judith Hermann and Dora Kaprálová read from "Ich möchte zurückgehen in der Zeit" and "Die Mariborhypnose," with Katrin Schumacher moderating

Back in Time, Back in Storytelling

naTo

Eva Menasse and Christine Koschmieder explore the question of what makes a house a home, moderated by Andreas Platthaus

Two Houses in the East

UT Connewitz

Ruth-Maria Thomas and Dana Vowinckel read from their new novels, moderated by Verena Keßler

Great Loves, Subtle Differences

Werk 2

Reading from the new novel and conversation with Alexander Cammann. "Das tickende Herz" is a love novel, an environmental novel and a poet's novel: at the beginning of the new millennium, Carl Bischoff returns from the Brandenburg provinces to Berlin, but only to set off again soon.

Lutz Seiler: "Das tickende Herz"

Literaturhaus im Haus des Buches

Festive award ceremony with a laudatio by Anke Schleper. Heike Geißler is honored for her body of work. An event in cooperation with the Sächsischer Literaturrat e. V.

Heike Geißler Receives the Saxon Literature Prize 2026

Stadtbibliothek Leipzig

An evening with poets Sascha Kokot (Leipzig) and Christoph Wenzel (Aachen), presented as part of Literarischer Herbst, Leipzig Festival for Literature.

Lyrikhotel Eins

Möbelkooperative Süd

An evening with the memoir virtuosos Jochen Schmidt and Gerhard Henschel, moderated by Katharina Teutsch. At the summit meeting in the na[...], the multiple award-winning masters of memoir read their favorite passages and greatest hits and take us into their workshop.

Chronicle of Current Events

Children's press conference for "Flippo," the children's newspaper of the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst. The new issue of the children's newspaper explores love in its many different forms from the children's point of view. The children present selected articles, talk about how the newspaper came to be, and host the program themselves.

„Love, Why Not?“

Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst

50 Years of Punk BRDDR – An Evening with Jan Müller and Henryk Gericke, Moderated by Ulrich Gutmair

Use Your Youth!

Zeitgeschichtliches Forum

Meral Şimşek and Sandra Gugić read and talk about political silence, coming to terms with the past, and their collaboration within the Weiter Schreiben program. Dilek Güngör moderates.

Which Loss Burns Us Deepest?

Deutsches Literaturinstitut Leipzig

A big evening of debut novels. Six especially promising first books will be read at the Ost-Passage Theater, moderated by Linn Penelope Rieger and Josef Braun. This event takes place in cooperation with the Leipzig Book Fair.

Best First Books

Author Christiane Hoffmann in conversation with UBL Director Anne Lipp. A joint event with the Leipzig University Library.

The Dreams We Had: My Friend, Russia, Ukraine and Me

Bibliotheca Albertina

Book presentation with Heidi Specker and Ronya Othmann: a homage to Aenne Biermann, accompanying the exhibition at the GfZK.

Heidi Specker „DamenzimmerHerrenschnitt“ – Book Presentation

Prune Antoine reads from „Eine Frau in Deutschland. Der Fall der Christiane K.“, with Michelle Schleimer moderating. A cooperative event with the Institut français Leipzig and the Frankreichzentrum of Leipzig University.

Nouvelles voix / Neue Stimmen

Institut français Leipzig

A scenic approach to Ingeborg Bachmann, by and with Charlotte Kaiser. A monologue-driven theatre evening that combines motifs from the novel "Malina" with Bachmann's correspondence with Paul Celan, Max Frisch and Hans Werner Henze, in an epic-dramatic form. A co-production with the Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum on the occasion of the poet's 100th birthday.

Who the Fuck Is Malina?

Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum

Philippe Sands in conversation with Stephan Detjen. Actress Verena Noll reads from Sands’ books. An event of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e. V. and the City of Leipzig in cooperation with the Leipziger Literarischer Herbst.

Philippe Sands, Peace Prize Winner of the German Book Trade, in Leipzig

Festsaal

The only literature show that mixes facts, fiction and firewater – by and with Rebecca Maria Salentin. Double premiere with Kerstin Preiwuß: the novel "Wir alle" and the poetry collection "Rodeo" (both Berlin Verlag).

SpeakEasy with Kerstin Preiwuß

Kammerspiele

Louise Kennedy presents her new novel „Red“ (Claassen) in conversation with Antje Deistler. The German passages are read by Verena Noll.

Louise Kennedy „Red“

Reading, live drawing and monster book signing (ages 4 and up)

The Grüffelo's Granny

Schaubühne Lindenfels

Reading for schools (ages 14 and up). Two friends without money, the children of single mothers at a high school full of wealthy families. About social injustice, capitalist narratives, and a friendship that is unconditional and yet not enough on its own.

Mädchen allein zu zweit

Halle 5 e.V. Kinder- und Jugendzentrum

Reading for schools (ages 12 and up). Crime comic featuring the three-legged stray Friedwart Plüschmann.

Leipziger literarischer Herbst

Oct 17, 2026

Conjectures About Reality: Of Small Dreams

Oct 17, 2026

Martina Hefter „Nach der Sonne schauen“ – Book Launch

Leipziger literarischer Herbst