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Die Zeit: Strunk's Heidelberg and Köhlmeier's Coburg in Summer Literary Podcast
Herz — World Desk · · 30s summary · 2 min read
The essentials
Die Zeit's literary podcast 'Was liest du gerade?' ('What are you reading right now?'), hosted by Iris Radisch and Adam Soboczynski, devotes its July 25, 2026 episode to summer novels set outside major German cities. The episode features Heinz Strunk's 'Memories of Heidelberg,' a tragicomic portrait of a middle-aged couple facing repeated humiliations aboard a Neckar riverboat restaurant, and Michael Köhlmeier's 'Mein privates Glück' ('My Private Happiness'), a childhood memoir set in Coburg during post-war Germany, releasing August 2026. The episode's 'Klassiker' (classic) segment spotlights Marie Luise Kaschnitz's short story 'Das dicke Kind.'
- Die Zeit publishes July 25 episode featuring summer novels outside major German cities.
- Heinz Strunk's 'Memories of Heidelberg' portrays a middle-aged couple's humiliations aboard a Neckar boat.
- Michael Köhlmeier explores his childhood in Coburg in 'Mein privates Glück,' launching August 2026.
- Marie Luise Kaschnitz's 'Das dicke Kind' is featured as the episode's classic short story.
What we know
Die Zeit publishes July 25, 2026 a new episode of its literary podcast 'Was liest du gerade?' ('What are you reading right now?'), hosted by Iris Radisch and Adam Soboczynski. The episode is dedicated to summer novels set outside major German cities, particularly Heidelberg and Coburg.
Heinz Strunk: repeated humiliations on the Neckar
Heinz Strunk — writer, musician, presenter and songwriter — publishes a new novel titled 'Memories of Heidelberg.' The book paints a tragicomic and burlesque portrait of Bertram and Isolde, a middle-aged couple at the end of their emotional rope.
The two protagonists visit the same riverboat restaurant moored on the Neckar in Heidelberg each evening, where they suffer repeated humiliations.
Michael Köhlmeier: childhood in Coburg and post-war memory
Michael Köhlmeier publishes 'Mein privates Glück' ('My Private Happiness') in August 2026. In it, the author discusses his childhood and youth in Coburg at length for the first time.
The novel chronicles a young boy living with his sister at his grandmother's house, his mother gravely ill. The personal story intertwines with post-war Germany and its burden of trauma and guilt.
The episode's classic: 'Das dicke Kind' by Kaschnitz
In its 'Klassiker' ('Classic') segment, the episode spotlights 'Das dicke Kind' ('The Fat Child'), a short story by Marie Luise Kaschnitz. It is presented as highly tense and as an example of transforming autobiographical material into literary art.
What remains uncertain
The exact publication date of Heinz Strunk's 'Memories of Heidelberg' is not specified in available sources. The publishers of both novels featured in the episode are also not mentioned.
What is Die Zeit's 'Was liest du gerade?' podcast?
'Was liest du gerade?' ('What are you reading right now?') is a literary podcast from German newspaper Die Zeit, hosted by Iris Radisch and Adam Soboczynski and dedicated to current book releases.
What is 'Memories of Heidelberg' by Heinz Strunk about?
The novel features Bertram and Isolde, a middle-aged couple at the end of their emotional rope, who visit a riverboat restaurant on the Neckar in Heidelberg each evening and suffer repeated humiliations. The narrative is treated in a tragicomic and burlesque manner.
What is new about 'Mein privates Glück' in Michael Köhlmeier's body of work?
It is the first time the author devotes substantial space to his childhood and youth in Coburg, blending personal memories with the historical context of post-war Germany.
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