"This was just a prelude. Where you burn books, you also end up burning people." - Heinrich Heine summed it up as early as 1823. He could not have known during his lifetime that his works would also be burned by the National Socialists in 1933. Nor could he have known that the destruction of cultural heritage would culminate in the murder of millions of people.

In his reading, Wilmersdorf recitalist Dirk Lausch focuses on texts by well-known authors who shared Heine's fate, tells their story(s) and, under the motto “never again is now”, builds a bridge to the present day. A little-known event will also be highlighted: Berlin's first book burning at Ludwig-Barnay-Platz, which took place back in March 1933. Despite all the seriousness, Lausch will not lack for lightness - after all, he will also be performing texts by “burned, persecuted and banned” satirists.

(Reading will be in German.)