Lukas Bärfuss: Queen of the Night—Reading and Discussion with Andreas Platthaus

A small town in Switzerland. A household consisting of a woman and her son. There is no “husband”; there are simply “men.” And money is always in short supply—tenderness even more so. In *Queen of the Night* (Rowohlt, 2026), Lukas Bärfuss follows up his essay “Vaters Kiste” and turns his attention to his mother. As a woman without an education or prospects, but with an insatiable desire for freedom, she is left with only the weapon of the powerless: a sharp tongue. And the son? He must learn early on the art of surviving this mother.
“What follows in just 120 pages is indeed ‘A Short Book About My Mother,’ and yet so much more: a comprehensive social analysis based on her individual case. One that, however, meets the highest literary standards,” writes Andreas Platthaus (FAZ), who sits down for a conversation with the Büchner Prize winner.
---
Photo: Lea Meienberg

Co-organizers: GLS Gemeinschaftsbank, Buchhandlung Schwarz

Supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

Date: November 18, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Literaturhaus Freiburg, Bertoldstraße 17
Admission: 11/7 euros

Reading and discussion
Literaturhaus