Poetry@Rubens

Lena Schätte reads from her novel
"The black on my father's hands"

The first-person narrator is called "Motte" by her father. Her father is a worker, gambler and drinker. Motte actually has two fathers: one who can run fast, knows all the hiding places when playing and thinks up an answer to every question. And the other, who is transferred from the factory floor to the office so that he doesn't saw his hand off when he's drunk. And the mother says that all the men in the family were like that with alcohol. Motte has also been drinking more than is good for her for a long time. Even as a child, she played waitress at the Schützenfest and drank the leftovers until she got warm. Now, as a young woman, she sometimes sleeps in the hallway because she can no longer hit the lock with her key. Her boyfriend supports her, but he usually
can't stand properly himself.

(Published by S. Fischer) Moderation: Prof. Dr. Jörg Döring