Deutsches Haus at NYU presents a reading by Michael Lentz from his acclaimed novel Schattenfroh (Deep Vellum Press, 2025, translated by Max Lawton), and a conversation between the author and Dagmara Kraus (Princeton University) about the art of the experimental novel, the conception of the wildly elusive character Schattenfroh, and the different reception of the novel in the English- and German-speaking world.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and there will be a book signing following the program.

About “Schattenfroh:”

Our narrator is held in complete darkness and isolation. His endless thoughts are turned into the book we are reading—Schattenfroh—directed by none other than the narrator’s mysterious jailer by the same name. Undulating through explorations of Renaissance art, the German reformation, time-defying esoterica, the printing process in the 16th century, Kabbalistic mysticism, and beyond, Schattenfroh is a remarkable book that, in turn, asks the remarkable of its readers.

Interruptions, breaks, and annotations both buoy and deceive, and endless historical references, literary allusions, and wordplay construct a baroque, encyclopedic quest. Schattenfroh’s publication in English marks a seminal moment in the history of the literary form.

“'Schattenfroh:' An Evening with Michael Lentz” is funded by the DAAD from funds of the German Federal Foreign Office (AA).

Date and Time: September 17, 2026 from 6 – 7:30 PM

Location: Deutsches Haus at NYU, 42 Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003

More Information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/schattenfroh-an-evening-with-michael-lentz-and-dagmara-kraus-tickets-1998388090574?aff=oddtdtcreator