Thomas Raab - Reading

READING and other embarrassments from the life of a writer

For about 18 years, Thomas Raab has been active in the German-speaking world, reading from his books, moderating events, and hosting evenings that combine literature with music. It has increasingly become clear how much joy the audience and he derive from free storytelling during the readings, meandering off-topic, shared laughter, and direct exchange.

With READING, Thomas Raab fulfills his long-standing desire to make exactly that the conceptual core of the evening. A literary-cabaret solo format, beyond the classic author reading.

A writer sits on stage, his books beside him – and he grandly fails to read from them. Instead, he shares anecdotes about writing and failure. About readings where everything went wrong. About passages that were cut. About embarrassing moments that never made it into the book. About absurdities in his industry and other secrets.

READING is not a classic reading. And it’s not a cabaret with a barrage of jokes. It is a very personal, very funny evening that straddles literature, storytelling, and self-revelation. AND: he also sits down at the piano!