Invitation to the opening event of lit.COLOGNE 2026
Julian Barnes and Robert Habeck on truth and fiction.
In his latest book Abschied(e) (Farewells), Julian Barnes (“The End of the Story”), who just turned 80 in January, looks back on a lifetime of writing: Which periods were important and became literature—or do memories detach themselves from what was and tell their own stories?
Robert Habeck has also been writing his entire life, both fiction and nonfiction (his most recent publication is Den Bach rauf. Eine Kursbestimmung). He asks: how do you tell the truth – and how do you tell what could be true?
An unusual encounter between two authors with completely different biographies. Together, they discuss the question of whether we can invent our own lives.
German text: Frank Arnold, translation: Sarah King, moderator: Tobias Rüther
Saturday
March 7, 2026
4:30 p.m.
Flora Cologne
The subsequent reception will take place from 6:00 p.m. at Dachsalon.
We look forward to receiving your feedback by February 6th, 2026. Please check the appropriate option on the next page and submit the form.
lit.COLOGNE would like to thank its partners:
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We look forward to seeing you!
You can pick up your guest passes on March 7, 2026, starting at 3 p.m. at the guest pass counter/main entrance of Flora Köln.
Do you know the Friends of lit.COLOGNE? The Circle of Friends is intended to connect people and enable us to remain financially and content-wise independent and to anchor lit.COLOGNE in the cultural life of the city in the future. There are various ways to get involved in the Friends of lit.COLOGNE: All information can be found here.
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