Lesung mit Birgit Birnbacher

Vea Kaiser will read from her new novel "Fabula Rasa or The Queen of the Grand Hotel" on Tuesday, February 2, 2027, at 6:00 PM in the Sonnenburg Library. The reading is suitable for adults.

In her fast-paced new novel, Vea Kaiser tells the story of a young mother who makes her way in a traditional Viennese hotel, overcoming all obstacles and taking her fate into her own hands.

Vienna, late 1980s: Angelika Moser, raised in a public housing complex 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 all over, she gets involved in dubious financial maneuvers to save the establishment. Suddenly faced with raising a small child alone, Angelika fights for a good life and begins to manipulate invoices. Decades go by – 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 guests of the Sonnenburg Hotel and Restaurant, participation in the reading is free of charge. If you are only coming for the reading, an entry fee of €5.00 per person will be charged. You can pay this 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.