Erzählzeit 2026

Berlin-based author Mirna Funk visited Klostergut Paradies to present her book "Balagan"

As part of the literary event series "Erzählzeit", Mirna Funk read from her latest novel "Balagan" – a blend of fairy tale, thriller and road movie – to an audience of around 70 people. The title sets a clear direction: “Balagan” is Hebrew and means chaos. “There is no redemption, only chaos,” said Funk, explaining the essence of the book. With presence and a visible joy in storytelling, she drew the audience into the world of her novel, which artfully weaves together identity, Jewish life, trauma, justice, family history and social conflicts. The author also offered insightful glimpses into her working methods. Central to this is the combination of a conceptual approach and a form of method writing. In doing so, she delves deeply into the circumstances and lived worlds of her protagonists to imbue them with the greatest possible authenticity. The reading was rich not only in literary content but also in dialogue. Between the individual reading segments, the discussions between Mirna Funk and the moderator Franziska Eggimann, Managing Director of the Iron Library Foundation, facilitated a deeper understanding of the themes addressed in the book. Sometimes with humour, but also with the requisite seriousness, the dialogue offered the audience additional perspectives on characters, motifs and creative processes.

The historic atmosphere of the Paradies monastery estate proved to be the ideal setting for the reading. Many visitors expressed their enthusiasm after the event and took the opportunity during the subsequent drinks reception to take home a signed copy of the book or to exchange personal impressions with the author. With Mirna Funk’s evening, ‘Erzählzeit’ and the Iron Library, as the organiser of the reading, created a literary highlight and demonstrated how contemporary literature can be experienced in a vibrant way in the region.