The safety of strong walls welcomes us when the company DFP Dörentrup opens its halls for us, in which fireproof products for the foundry industry are produced. Over a hundred years, the company can look back on a rich history, similar to the literary patrons of this evening. The actor Sebastian Ströbel, known from “Der Bergretter,” guides us through W. G. Sebald's narrative “Il ritorno in patria.” In this return, the protagonist re-explores his hometown after decades of absence: From a guesthouse in his former home, he ascends into his own childhood, remembering his first crush on his teacher or the path he always walked with his grandfather. With the eyes of the child he once was, he discovers the world that, despite its strangeness, feels so familiar and home-like.

Similarly astonished is the protagonist from Alexa Hennig von Lange's “Heimkehr” trilogy. After the death of her grandmother, she discovers over 100 tape recordings containing the secret of the always so strict and distant lady: a life full of challenges. Alexa Hennig von Lange paints a magnificent portrait of the old woman, whose familiar persona begins to unfold more and more against the backdrop of experiences of shame, guilt, and the personal fate of a family during the Nazi era for her granddaughter. The author reads excerpts from all three volumes.

Remembering also means tradition. And this tradition of their genre is skillfully taken up by the two jazz musicians David Helbock and Julia Hofer. At the same time, they also experiment in their soundscapes and create a new home for their new sound, which harmoniously unites tradition and avant-garde of jazz.