Summer 1992 in the former Elbe border region. Pilly is thirteen and longs to belong. But even two years after reunification, her family still clings to the ideals of yesterday. Her father flees to the pub, her aunts dream of the Golden West and there is still no sign of Pilly's mother. Pilly only finds support in her older classmate Katja. A false conclusion. She has no idea that at the end of this summer her world will be a different one once again.
Patricia Hempel, born in Berlin in 1983, first studied prehistory and early history before moving from archaeology to study literary writing/editing at the University of Hildesheim. Verlassene Nester was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion with a scholarship for German-language literature and nominated for the 2023 Alfred Döblin Prize.
Easy-to-read:
On this evening, Patricia Hempel will read an excerpt from her new novel Verlassene Nester. The novel tells the story of Pilly, who is 13 years old. The action takes place in the summer of 1992 in East Germany. Two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pilly's family is not coping so well with the new situation. Pilly feels alone and searches for friends and love.
