Free admission
On July 9, the O-TÖNE open-air literature festival kicks off with Norbert Gstrein, who will read from his work “Im ersten Licht“. Before that, Salzburg-based author Katherina Braschel will make her debut with “Heim holen“. The evening will be hosted by Daniela Strigl.
Norbert Gstrein “Im ersten Licht“
Two world wars, one century: an unconventional life full of beauty, tragedy, and contradictions. Norbert Gstrein’s overwhelming new novel—nominated for the 2026 Leipzig Book Fair Prize. Norbert Gstrein presents us with an entire human life. Yet every life is fragile in this novel, which begins with a blow from an axe: Adrian’s father renders him unfit for World War I as a teenager, perhaps saving him in the process. The stubborn, tender man who limps through more than eighty years of life from that point on is the miracle of this narrative. Adrian sees his world come to an end twice, deals twice with young men who were less fortunate than he was, and, in his old age, experiences the unexpected love story of a man who was raised to do everything—except love. How do we live in the shadow of wars and killing? With a fearless gaze into the past, “Im ersten Licht“ confronts this great question of the present.
Katherina Braschel “Heim holen“
Katherina Braschel weaves family history research and memory into a tenderly told debut novel that poses radical questions. Lina, a child of the 1990s, grew up in a world that seems to have fallen out of time: in a Danube Swabian community that settled in Salzburg after expulsion and flight and continued its traditional way of life there after 1945. When Lina learns one evening of her grandfather’s membership in the SS, she begins to search for answers beyond the dominant narrative of victimhood. Torn between her love for her deceased grandparents and her own growing political awareness, she resolves to break the silence for the first time. Supported by her close friends, Lina confronts her family history and sets out on a journey of discovery that will take her all the way to Belgrade. When she finally seeks a confrontation with her mother, it becomes a test of endurance …
MQ Summer Stage
