Conference: Nichts als gegeben hinnehmen. Max von der Grün und die Öffentlichkeit, March 12-13, 2026

Max von der Grün (1926–2005) is an author who is primarily associated with literature about the working world and the Ruhr region in academic and public perception. He published over 30 books covering a wide variety of genres and topics. Many of his novels were made into films. In addition to Irrlicht und Feuer (Will-o’-the-Wisp and Fire), which caused a scandal in 1963, he was also successful with his children’s and young adult books, especially Vorstadtkrokodile (Suburban Crocodiles, 1976), and his subsequent publications always attracted a great deal of media attention. Von der Grün understood his writing as taking sides with the weaker members of society, without wanting to subordinate his novels and stories to extra-literary activism. Despite all the injustices he saw, he always preferred the possibilities offered by fiction to the operational activism of some of his fellow writers. His motto was: Never accept anything as a given.

May 2026 marks the 100th birthday of Max von der Grün, which will be taken as a starting point to (re)read his texts from a literary, cultural, and media studies perspective and to gain new insights. In cooperation with the Fritz Hüser Institute in Dortmund, our postdoctoral researcher Antonia Villinger is organizing the conference “Nicht als gegeben hinnehmen. Max von der Grün und die Öffentlichkeit“ (Accept Nothing as a Given: Max von der Grün and the Public), which will take place on March 13 in Dortmund and will open with a reading on March 12. Heike Geißler will read from her essay ”Arbeiten” (Work). Interested parties are cordially invited to attend.