An Evening with Alena Mornštajnová

About this event

Alena Mornštajnová has a gift for transforming the sweeping changes of the 20th century into deeply personal stories. At this literary evening, she reads from her German-translated novels and talks with cultural journalist Mirko Schwanitz about how history becomes fiction. Her breakthrough came with ‘Hana’, a family saga about guilt, survival and the fate of Moravian Jews. ‘Stille Jahre’ examines silence between generations, while ‘Es geschah im November’ imagines a dystopian world where the Velvet Revolution failed. Her latest novel, ‘Zeit der Wespen’, is a quiet, haunting tale about the grip of the past and two solitary outsiders. Schwanitz’s conversation with the author will shed light on the real-world backdrops behind the books and on her creative process. The event is part of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2026 with guest country Czechia. Seating in the historic Holzhausenschlösschen is free and unallocated; a few balcony seats have a restricted view. A livestream will also be available on the Bürgerstiftung’s website.