Jana Hensel in Göttingen: Reading from Once upon a time in a land
Date and Time
Artist
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
Jana Hensel at the Old Town Hall: A literary inventory of the East
With Once upon a time in a land, Jana Hensel brings a politically and literarily sharpened book to Göttingen. The reading at the Old Town Hall combines contemporary diagnosis, conversation, and the special closeness of an author encounter, in which language does not embellish but explains, condenses, and contradicts. For literature enthusiasts, an evening emerges that brings together essay, contemporary diagnosis, and narrative precision. ([adticket.de](https://www.adticket.de/Es-war-einmal-ein-Land/Goettingen-Altes-Rathaus/06-10-2026_19-00.html))
An evening between analysis and atmosphere
Since Zone Children, Jana Hensel has been one of the defining voices of contemporary East German literature. Her texts connect personal experience with social observation, journalistic clarity with literary stance. This is exactly what gives Once upon a time in a land its tension: the book looks at the fragile lines of unification history and the question of why political attitudes in the East have shifted so deeply. ([aufbau-verlage.de](https://www.aufbau-verlage.de/download/17083?utm_source=openai))
Reading, conversation, and literary discourse
The event is designed as a reading and conversation. At the center are the contemporary questions that Hensel raises in her book: What tipping points have shaped the East German experience? Which social and political fractures can still be read today? The evening promises not only literary quality but also intellectual friction, as a good reading is characterized by. ([adticket.de](https://www.adticket.de/Es-war-einmal-ein-Land/Goettingen-Altes-Rathaus/06-10-2026_19-00.html))
The venue: Old Town Hall Göttingen
The Old Town Hall at Markt 9 in Göttingen is a historical venue with a cultural aura. The building is centrally located in the city center, close to the market, and has good public transport connections. The hall and the historical rooms create a dense, almost intimate reading atmosphere that fits well for an evening about memory, democracy, and societal understanding. ([niedersachsen.app](https://niedersachsen.app/stadt-goettingen/sehenswert/altes-rathaus))
Tickets, admission and practical information
According to the ticket site, prices start at 20 euros; discounts are available. The organizer is the Göttingen Literary Autumn. Thus, the evening is aimed at an audience that seeks literary debates as well as an encounter with an author whose texts have shaped the East German discourse for years. ([adticket.de](https://www.adticket.de/Es-war-einmal-ein-Land/Goettingen-Altes-Rathaus/06-10-2026_19-00.html))
Conclusion: If one understands literature as a space for thought, they will find an evening with substance here. Jana Hensel not only reads from a current book, she opens a debate space about origins, political shifts, and societal memory. That is exactly why it is worth experiencing this reading live. ([adticket.de](https://www.adticket.de/Es-war-einmal-ein-Land/Goettingen-Altes-Rathaus/06-10-2026_19-00.html))
Official channels of Jana Hensel:
- Instagram: No official profile found
- Facebook: No official profile found
- Website: https://www.aufbau-verlage.de/autor-in/jana-hensel
- Publisher: https://www.aufbau-verlage.de/aufbau/veranstaltung/jana-hensel-es-war-einmal-ein-land-16
