Between Worlds in Cottbus: Staged Reading by Juli Zeh and Simon Urban
Date and Time
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
Between Worlds in the Great House: When a Novel Becomes the Stage of the Present
With Between Worlds, a staged reading will come to the Great House of the Cottbus State Theatre on June 12, 2026, capturing the pulse of the times. The novel by Juli Zeh and Simon Urban unfolds its charm from the clash of two life worlds that were once connected and now appear separated by language, attitude, and experience. This is precisely where the literary tension of the evening lies: from distance comes dialogue, from dialogue comes friction, and from friction arises an intense theater and reading experience.
An Evening About Discourse Culture, Intimacy, and Loss
The source text is one of the most poignant social novels in contemporary literature. At its center are Theresa and Stefan, whose reunion does not end in harmony, but in an open exchange of blows about politics, origins, responsibility, and the question of how much understanding remains possible in polarized times. The staged reading condenses these conflicts into an immediate reading atmosphere, where language itself becomes a dramatic force.
Literary Quality Between Epistolary Novel and Contemporary Analysis
Especially appealing is the form: The novel employs digital correspondence, with emails and messenger messages, making the tone of our present audible. What already convinces on paper as a precise observation of modern communication culture gains an additional sharpness on stage. For literature lovers, an evening is opened that not only tells but also makes visible thought movements: societal division, cultural codes, emotional vulnerability, and the search for a common standard.
Juli Zeh and Simon Urban in Literary Discourse
Juli Zeh is among the most prominent German authors of the present, widely awarded and known for novels that address societal conflicts with great linguistic clarity. Simon Urban also brings in the perspective of a precise social observer. Together they have created a text with Between Worlds that goes far beyond mere evening material and is anchored in the cultural discourse about city and country, media and morality, intimacy and alienation.
The Cottbus State Theatre as a Suitable Resonance Space
The Great House at Schillerplatz provides a worthy framework for this. The traditional hall with its unique theater atmosphere combines closeness and concentration, while the barrier-free facilities, the hearing loop, and the good public transport connections make the visit pleasantly planable. Parking is available, among other places, at the parking garage at Galeria Kaufhof, at the Wernerstraße parking lot, and at the Viehmarkt parking lot. Thus, the evening also becomes a rounded cultural experience from an organizational perspective.
Why a Visit is Worth it
Between Worlds promises an evening that shows literature not decoratively, but existentially. Those who love the novel will experience its conflicts in a concentrated form. Those who do not yet know it will receive a dense introduction to one of the most contemporary German societal texts. This reading combines linguistic artistry, contemporary analysis, and stage presence into an event that resonates long after. Experience it live in Cottbus and feel the literary tension of the evening yourself.
Official Channels of Juli Zeh:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- Website: https://www.julizeh.de/
- Publisher: https://specials.penguinrandomhouse.de/microsites/julizeh7/
