Romanfabrik e.V.

What remains of a family when apartments are cleared out, possessions are passed on, and stories become memories? “For a long time, I thought ‘Früher’ meant the country they came from.” Ricarda Messner tells the story of two Berlin apartments, four generations, and a family name she wants to reclaim. Her search for clues takes her all the way to Riga—and deep into her family’s history.

Ricarda Messner takes a seat for a “sofa conversation” and engages in an open discussion with Isabella Caldart about her debut novel *Wo der Name wohnt* (Suhrkamp). The discussion will focus on origins and memory, on writing about one’s own family, and on the question of how the past lives on in the present. A personal evening featuring not only readings from the novel but, above all, conversation, questions, and storytelling.

Photo credit: Diana Pfammatter

November 12, 7:30 p.m.

Romanfabrik, Hanauer Landstr. 186, Frankfurt

2-for-1: 16 €

Nov. 12, 6:45–7:15 p.m., box office