Events of the International Stefan Heym Society e. V. in January 2023
Thursday, 19 January, 5.30 pm
FLIEG : HEYM
Scenic reading on the life and work of Stefan Heym
Venue: TIETZ, Chemnitz City Library, Event Hall
Admission: free
March 1933, Berlin, night. Two brothers, barely grown up, meet again. One, coming from Chemnitz, has been ordered by his parents to send the other abroad. Now. Immediately. Without hesitation. It was a matter of life and death. - There are many such dramatic stages in the life of Helmut Flieg, who changed his name to Stefan Heym after fleeing Germany, had to change countries several times, became a journalist and writer and repeatedly came into conflict with the powers that be. It all begins with his first attempts at poetry and a publication...
The staged reading, organised by young Chemnitz residents, follows in the footsteps of his works and his life.
A joint event organised by the Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Gymnasium and the International Stefan Heym Society.
Sunday, 22 January, 10 a.m.
FLIEG : HEYM
Guided tour of the Stefan Heym Forum and working library
Location: TIETZ, 3rd floor
Admission: 3 euros (free up to 18 years)
The Stefan Heym Forum in Chemnitz offers a wealth of information about the life and work of Stefan Heym in words and pictures, with archive photographs and interviews with contemporary witnesses.
The centrepiece is the working library from Stefan Heym's study in Berlin-Grünau, which has been collected over decades and is presented in its original furniture.
Monday, 30 January, 6 p.m.
The great Hanussen. The story of a rediscovery.
A themed evening on the current production of a play by Stefan Heym at the Chemnitz Municipal Theatres
Venue: TIETZ, event hall
Admission: 6 euros, reduced 3 euros (free up to 18 years)
The violent death of clairvoyant Jan Hanussen, a star of the Berlin variety theatre scene, in the spring of 1933 was quickly interpreted as an indication that the Reichstag fire a few weeks earlier had apparently been planned by the National Socialists. Hanussen is said to have predicted the fire during one of his performances, apparently based on secret information from his contacts with high-ranking Nazi officials.
The young Stefan Heym experienced those weeks as a student in Berlin. He was attacked for his critical poems and soon afterwards the 19-year-old had to flee Germany. Years later, in exile in America, he turned the events surrounding Hanussen into a play. Rediscovered by a German scholar from Chemnitz in Stefan Heym's estate, it was not premièred until 20 years after Heym's death. In 2022, it can now also be seen at the Chemnitz Municipal Theatre (premiere: 28 January).
In a moderated discussion, theatre director Carsten Knödler, dramaturge Stefanie Esser, actor Christian Schmidt and the artistic director of Württembergische Landesbühnen Marcus Maria Grube, who was responsible for the world premiere, will discuss how the rediscovery came about, what special features the production has and why the material is proving to be surprisingly topical again today.
A joint event of the International Stefan Heym Society and the Chemnitz Theatre on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the transfer of power to the National Socialists in Germany on 30 January 1933.