Lesung mit Bernhard Aichner

Vea Kaiser will read on Tuesday, February 2, 2027, at 6:00 p.m. in the Sonnenburg Library from her new novel "Fabula Rasa oder Die Königin des Grand Hotels." The reading is suitable for adults.

Vea Kaiser tells the story in her fast-paced new novel of a young mother who overcomes all obstacles to build a career in a traditional Viennese hotel and takes her story into her own hands.

Vienna, late eighties: Angelika Moser, who grew up in a council flat as the daughter of the caretaker, spends her free time dancing through the nightlife. At the same time, she loves her job in a new, elegant world: as an accountant at the Grand Hotel Frohner, populated by Viennese originals and guests from everywhere, she engages in dubious number games to save the establishment. Suddenly left alone with a small child, Angelika takes up the fight for a good life and begins to manipulate invoices. Decades pass – until the numbers come crashing down around her.

Where: Library, Hotel Sonnenburg

Registration is possible at events@sonnenburg.at or at the Sonnenburg reception.

For Sonnenburg hotel and restaurant guests, participation in the reading is free. If you are only coming for the reading, an admission fee of €5.00 per person will be charged. You can pay the amount directly at the Sonnenburg reception before the event.

Kris Lauwerys will read on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 8:30 PM in the Sonnenburg Library from his new book “From Light into Darkness.” The reading is suitable for adults.

Kris Lauwerys, born in 1972 in Belgium, along with his partner Isabelle Schoepen, has been translating literature from German and French into Dutch for many years. For their commitment to Austrian literature, they were awarded the State Prize for Literary Translation in 2024. In 2025, “From Light into Darkness – Three Women in Vienna 1900–1938: Emilie Flöge, Jesenská, and Veza Canetti” was published by the Residenz Verlag.

From Light into Darkness

Three Women in Vienna 1900–1938: Emilie Flöge, Milena Jesenská, and Veza Canetti

Three Women, Three Paths, One Era

The fashion designer Emilie Flöge, the journalist Milena Jesenská, and the writer Veza Canetti shaped their time. They lived and worked in the vibrant Vienna of 1900 to 1938 – a city caught between cultural and social renewal and political decline. The looming shadows of National Socialism radically changed their lives. Between glamour and exile, adventure and loss, their stories tell of strength, creativity, and the struggle for survival in a shattered world. This book connects the portrait of a city with the life paths of three extraordinary women – a poignant book about courage and change.

Where: Library, Hotel Sonnenburg

Registration is possible at events@sonnenburg.at or at the Sonnenburg reception.

For Sonnenburg hotel and restaurant guests, participation in the reading is free. If you are coming only for the reading, an entrance fee of €5.00 per person will be charged. You can pay the amount directly at the Sonnenburg reception before the event.

Birgit Birnbacher will read from her new novel "They Want to Tell Us" on monday December 7, 2026, at 21:00 in the Hotel Sonnenburg library.
The book sensitively addresses the topic of neurodivergence, particularly ADHD.
The reading is aimed at adults and combines humor with a moving family story.
Entrance is free for hotel and restaurant guests; external visitors pay 5€.
Registration is possible at events@sonnenburg.at or at the Sonnenburg reception.