“Lies About My Mother” – Reading & Discussion with Daniela Dröscher

Is this woman too fat? Does she need to lose weight? Yes, decides her husband, to whom the mother is subjected every day. “Lies About My Mother” tells the story of a childhood in the Hunsrück region of the 1980s, shaped by the father’s conviction that his wife’s excess weight is responsible for his failures—both professional and social. It is also a retrospective viewed from today’s perspective: What really happened? What was concealed or lied about? What does this tell us about society?

Daniela Dröscher has her childlike alter ego relive the years of this “chamber play” and delivers a touching, intelligent novel about subtle violence, responsibility, and care. A tragicomic book about a strong woman fighting for her self-determination.

Daniela Dröscher, who grew up in Rhineland-Palatinate, lives in Berlin. She writes prose, essays, and plays. She has been awarded the Anna Seghers Prize and the Robert Gernhardt Prize (2017), among others.

Moderator: Thomas Böhm, radioeins

IN GERMAN