Gabriele von Arnim

We say goodbye at front doors, at train stations, in our own minds. We say goodbye to people who are dying; to loved ones who are moving on; to children who are growing up. From homes, cities, and jobs. But also from opinions and influences, from our former selves, from the certainty of peace and democracy. Goodbyes are sorrow or even joy, paths and wrong turns.
In her diary, Gabriele von Arnim chronicles a year of goodbyes, dreams, fears of the present, and the joy of life; she navigates the labyrinth of her desires and hopes all the way to the inescapable final farewell, sensing its finality. Yet farewell does not mean only loss, but also transformation, a new beginning, and adventure. Farewells are also paths toward the freedom of uncertainty.

Dr. Gabriele von Arnim, born in Hamburg in 1946, lived in New York for ten years as a freelance journalist. She subsequently wrote for publications such as *Die Zeit* and *Süddeutsche Zeitung*, as well as for broadcasters BR and WDR; as a host, she worked for ARTE and SWR, among others. Her books *Life Is a Temporary State* and *The Comfort of Beauty* were *SPIEGEL* bestsellers.

A collaboration between Literaturherbst Heidelberg and DAI

As part of the Heidelberg Literature Festival 2026