Claudia Rikl Reads "Elbland" – Author Reading in Schmilka

What remains of a homeland one had to leave behind? And how does our family’s history shape our own lives?

The Bad Schandau City Library invites you to a reading with Leipzig-based author Claudia Rikl on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. The event will take place at the Schmilk’sche Mühle in Schmilka.

In her novel “Elbland,” Claudia Rikl tells the story of Nina, who travels to the Czech Giant Mountains after her mother’s death. There, she seeks answers to questions that have long gone unspoken: Why did her family fall apart? And what significance does Bohemia—her mother’s lost homeland—hold for her own life?

In doing so, the author also explores the history of her Sudeten German family. The result is a moving novel about family silence, memories, and the search for one’s own roots.

Look forward to a personal encounter with Claudia Rikl and a family history whose past continues to resonate into the present.

The event is part of the “Literaturforum Bibliothek”—an autumn reading tour featuring 20 Saxon authors and 60 readings throughout the Free State of Saxony. The event series is organized by the Saxony Library Association and sponsored by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, and Tourism.

Sponsored by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, and Tourism. The Saxony Regional Association within the German Library Association (Deutscher Bibliotheksverband e. V.) is co-funded by tax revenues from the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.