Irgendwo. Aber am Meer

In Arnold Stadler's novel "Somewhere. But by the Sea," a writer travels to a cultural event in the Westerwald, where he is supposed to participate in a talk. However, the event turns into a fiasco. When asked what his contribution to the energy transition is, and how he feels about Greta Thunberg and the refugees drowning in the Mediterranean, he becomes entangled in a helpless attempt to respond. "That's just pure old white man nonsense!" echoes from the audience. In need of recovery, the expert, who has become estranged from the present, sets off to a place of longing in his life: a house with a view of the Greek island of Ithaca. It becomes a tragicomic journey through memories, stories, and thoughts, a search for our place in the world: the place where we can be happy - despite everything! - Somewhere. But by the sea.