When does the reading with Henning Sußebach start?

The reading starts on July 25, 2026 at 18:30.

Is there an admission fee?

No, this event is free of charge.

Where does the event take place?

At the Metropolengarten on Dahlbusch e.V. in Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen, Steeler Straße 61, Entrance Am Dahlbusch.

What is Anna or What Remains of a Life about?

The book reconstructs the life of Anna Kalthoff, a self-assured woman, from the perspective of her great-grandson and connects family history with historical research.

Is there information about the atmosphere of the place?

The Metropolengarten is a green, historically shaped cultural venue with an open festival character and a special reading atmosphere.

Literary Tracing: Henning Sußebach Tells Anna's Life in Gelsenkirchen

Name: Henning Sußebach reads in Gelsenkirchen: Anna or What Remains of a Life
Start: 2026-07-25T20:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-25T22:00:00+02:00
Location: Metropolengarten auf Dahlbusch e.V.

Henning Sußebach and the Quiet Impact of a Family Story

At the 6th Literature Festival “Near & Far,” the Metropolengarten on Dahlbusch becomes the stage for an intense reading: Henning Sußebach presents his book “Anna or: What Remains of a Life” and thus opens the perspective on a life long overshadowed by memory. The event combines literary quality, biographical research, and an atmosphere where language, history, and the present meet closely.

A Literary Evening Between Research and Memory

Sußebach reconstructs the story of his great-grandmother Anna Kalthoff from a few traces, photographs, and everyday documents. This reduction gives the text its power: from fragments emerges a multifaceted portrait of female self-determination, resistance, and social reality in the Sauerland. The reading promises more than an insight into a book – it becomes an author encounter with journalistic precision and literary empathy.

Language Art that Brings the Past to Life

Henning Sußebach is known as a ZEIT reporter and an award-winning author. His work has been honored with the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize, the Theodor Wolff Prize, the Henri Nannen Prize, and the German Reporter Prize, among others. One can sense this journalistic authority in his book: sober in research, subtle in tone, attentive to social details, and to the dignity of an unremarkable life.

The Place: Garden Culture with Ruhr Area Charm

The Metropolengarten on Dahlbusch e.V. in Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen provides an unusual setting for the reading atmosphere. The historic site at Steeler Straße 61, embedded in a green oasis near Villa-Dahlbusch, gives the evening an open, urban, and yet intimate character. According to the organizer, the garden opens 60 minutes before the program starts; admission is free.

Why This Appointment is Worth It

Those who want not only to read literature but to experience it will find an evening here with depth, aesthetic clarity, and cultural resonance. Sußebach’s text questions origins, courage, and self-assertion – and the quiet biographies that make up family history. Anyone wanting to experience the literary experience live should plan this date firmly in their festival calendar.