Book Club: 'Maifliegenzeit' by Matthias Jügler

The Goethe-Institut Glasgow Book Club invites you to read and discuss (in German) the book 'Maifliegenzeit' by Matthias Jügler. New members welcome!
ABOUT THE BOOK

In this gripping novel, Matthias Jügler tells a story that is both sensitive and powerful, showing that the past is never truly over.

For Katrin and Hans, every parent’s nightmare comes true: shortly after the birth, they lose their first child in a hospital not far from Leipzig – and shortly afterwards, they lose each other as a couple. Katrin is tormented by doubts about the doctors’ account of events, doubts that Hans refuses to acknowledge. When Katrin dies years later, it becomes clear that she may well have been right in her fears. During his investigations, which take him deep into the history of the GDR, Hans stumbles upon inconsistencies and a wall of silence. He cannot resolve all his questions regarding the infant’s death, yet the thought that he failed at a crucial moment in his life, that he missed something, that he made a mistake, will haunt him for the rest of his days. Then one day the phone rings and his son is on the line. Having grown up in an adoptive family, his view of the past differs fundamentally from what Hans tells him. Can the rift created by life in a totalitarian state and forty missing years together ever be bridged?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthias Jügler, born in 1984 in Halle/Saale, studied Scandinavian Studies and Art History in Greifswald and Oslo, and Creative Writing at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. He has received numerous awards for his novels, including the Klopstock Prize for Literature from the State of Saxony-Anhalt in 2022 and the Rheingau Literature Prize in 2024. ‘Maifliegenzeit’ (2024) was shortlisted for the 2025 Evangelical Book Prize. Jügler lives in Leipzig, where he also works as a freelance editor.
Text and Picture source: Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe GmbH

Everyone who would like to read and discover German books and share their reading experience with others is welcome. The conversation will be in German. All participants should have sufficient language skills to read and discuss in German.

Participation is free of charge.

If you are not a regular member of the book club please register your interest by sending an email to [email protected]. We will add you to our book club mailing list.

More information: Goethe-Institut Glasgow Book Club.

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