I’d speak of myself as a boundless lover of books. Ever since I was able to read, I did it excessively. I remember the high score of my teenage years consisting of around 10 books which I read on one weekend. Of course, each of them wasn’t 500 pages, but I’m quite proud of this performance anyway. So if you can identify with what I’m saying, and you’re a massive book nerd as well, this blog could be quiet interesting for you.
Last year from August till October, I did an internship at the “Literaturhaus” (house of literature) here in Rostock. I guess you can imagine why I decided on that. The house itself isn’t big at all. It consists of just a small office inside the “Peter-Weiss-Haus” with 5 employees who do all the work, which by the way isn’t little. Besides, it holds a small extra room for workshops, like writing courses for people enthusiastic about literature, and reading projects for pupils to bring them closer to books.
The offered readings are very personal and inspiring, at least the ones that I visited. They take place in different locations, such as in halls of the “Peter-Weiss-Haus” or in other bookshops, as the “Andere Buchhandlung” or “Thalia“. The readings are well affordable for everyone and there are even benefits for students.
The range of authors that perform there and also their topics are very diverse. As I worked there, I actually came into touch with some of the authors themselves and was able to talk to them. This experience was awesome as I admire anybody who has been able to complete and publish a book. I was especially surprised by the audience being very mixed in respect of age, gender and nationality. I thought there would be a more clear target group. But everyone who is interested is welcome and many people appear to take up the offer.
However, since reading turns more and more “nerdy“ and most people of my generation spend more time bent over their smartphones, I’m really concerned about those cultural artefacts getting lost in the ocean (or the Baltic sea) of the multiple activities to chose from. I want to call attention to the possibility of readings here in Rostock, which you might not have heard of before. Besides, having someone else read a book can relieve the burden of reading yourself, which might be a good start for some people to expand their passion for literature.
Although seemingly unimpressive, the “Literaturhaus Rostock“ provides a lot of opportunities for old and young and illustrates the possibilities of literature. I believe that you don’t have to be ashamed of being a book lover any longer, be proud, embrace it and let other people know.
