When does Elisabeth Pape's reading take place?

The reading takes place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 7:30 PM.

Where does the event take place?

The reading is held in the Cooler Building at Gaswerk, Am Alten Gaswerk 1 - 20, 86156 Augsburg.

What is the cost of admission?

Admission to the reading is free.

From which book will Elisabeth Pape be reading?

Elisabeth Pape will read from her debut novel Half Portion.

In what context does the reading take place?

The event is part of the accompanying program For You/For Me.

What themes does the novel address?

The novel addresses eating disorders, growing up in poverty, family constraints, and the difficult path to a healthy relationship with food and money.

Elisabeth Pape reads Half Portion Augsburg 2026

Name: "Half Portion"
Start: 2026-10-17T19:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-17T19:30:00+02:00
Location: Kühlergebäude im Gaswerk

Elisabeth Pape reads "Half Portion" at Gaswerk Augsburg

An evening about eating disorders, poverty, family influences, and the difficult search for a self-determined life: On October 17, 2026, Elisabeth Pape presents her debut novel Half Portion in the Cooler Building of the Gaswerk Augsburg. The reading takes place as part of the accompanying program "For You/For Me" and combines literary precision with a compelling author encounter.

A story between body, money, and origin

Elisabeth Pape's novel tells of a young woman who has learned to control her body, her meals, and every cent. Eating disorders appear not as isolated individual problems but as part of a web of poverty, family expectations, and deeply ingrained survival strategies.

The title Half Portion encapsulates central motifs of the novel: rationed food, frugal living, and the hurtful gaze upon a body that is judged from the outside. Pape connects these levels into an autofictional narrative about social origin, mental strain, and the longing for change.

Literary artistry with tragicomic moments

The author finds a laconic and self-ironic tone for her difficult subject. Between discomfort and dark humor, a narrative tension arises that offers readers no easy answers. It is precisely in this combination of merciless observation and linguistic precision that the literary quality of the debut novel lies.

The reading makes audible how Pape intertwines familial closeness and emotional pressure. Her characters navigate between care and control, hope and relapse, departure and learned compulsion. This creates a literary experience that expands the cultural discourse on classism, mental health, and social participation.

Elisabeth Pape: acclaimed playwright and novelist

Elisabeth Pape, born in 1995, studied theater and literary studies at the Free University of Berlin as well as dramaturgy at the University of the Arts Berlin. For her dramatic work, she received the Kleist Promotion Prize for young playwrights in 2023. Additionally, she has been awarded the Leonhard Frank Scholarship. Her plays have had their premieres at the State Theatre Augsburg and the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, among others.

Half Portion is her debut novel published by Suhrkamp Verlag. The novel has been perceived by literary critics as an intense, socially relevant, and formally independent engagement with poverty, health, and familial influence.

Reading atmosphere at the Gaswerk

The Gaswerk Augsburg provides a striking setting for this author encounter with its industrially shaped cultural area. Between the rough history of the place and the intimate concentration of a reading, a special atmosphere arises: The author’s voice meets a space characterized by change, creativity, and cultural diversity.

Admission is free. Literature enthusiasts will experience an evening that goes beyond the bookstore, bringing questions of belonging, self-image, and social origin into the public sphere.

Conclusion: A literary evening that resonates

Elisabeth Pape's reading promises an intense encounter with an important debut of contemporary German literature. Half Portion tells of a ruthless illness, familial love, and overwhelm, but also about the possibility of questioning ingrained patterns. Those who see literature as social insight and personal experience should experience this evening live at the Gaswerk Augsburg.