Martin Piekar in Heilbronn: Reading from On the Cutting of a Family Tree
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A reading about origin, care, and the restless present of language
With Martin Piekar: On the Cutting of a Family Tree, a debut novel meets a reading atmosphere in Heilbronn that combines literary precision with emotional power. The event is scheduled for 02.10.2026 at 4:00 PM at Volkshochschule Heilbronn I Atelier, Kirchbrunnenstraße 12, 74072 Heilbronn; the official note states fee required. The novel narrates a German-Polish family story that revolves around migration, care, and memory. ([rowohlt.de](https://www.rowohlt.de/veranstaltung/lesung-und-gespraech-martin-piekar-heilbronn-19412-261002))
Between Anecdote and Abyss
At the center is Marcin, who comes to Germany with his mother from Poland as a child. While she works as a caregiver and struggles with alcohol, he searches for a language for his own in-betweenness through video games, nu-metal, and poetry. This constellation gives the novel a rare literary quality: it is a coming-of-age novel, a family epic, and a diagnosis of the present in one. ([rowohlt.de](https://www.rowohlt.de/buch/martin-piekar-vom-faellen-eines-stammbaums-9783498007461?utm_source=openai))
An Author with Stage Experience and Literary Authority
Martin Piekar, born in 1990, lives in Frankfurt am Main and works as a writer, poet, and teacher. He has published the poetry volumes Bastardecho, Amokpervers, and Livestream & Leichen. He has received awards including the KELAG Prize and the BKS Bank Audience Award at the Bachmann Prize; furthermore, he received the Robert-Gernhardt Prize in 2024 and was nominated for the Alfred Döblin Prize in 2025. For On the Cutting of a Family Tree, there is also a nomination for the aspekte Literature Prize as well as the Harbour Front Debut Prize. ([rowohlt.de](https://www.rowohlt.de/autor/martin-piekar-44154?utm_source=openai))
The Tone of the Novel: Rough, Poetic, Direct
What makes this evening special for literature lovers is the tension between linguistic artistry and social reality. Piekar's novel speaks of origin, working class, care, and transgenerational consequences of war without smoothing the characters. Press reviews highlight this mix of hardness, tenderness, and poetic density. ([rowohlt.de](https://www.rowohlt.de/buch/martin-piekar-vom-faellen-eines-stammbaums-9783498007461?utm_source=openai))
A Place with Cultural Weight
The Deutschhof in Heilbronn is not a neutral space but a historically charged cultural site. Today it houses museums, an archive, and a community college, providing a fitting setting for an author encounter that intertwines education, memory, and the present. ([heilbronn.de](https://www.heilbronn.de/leben/heilbronn-entdecken/sehenswuerdigkeiten/deutschhof.html))
Conclusion
Anyone looking for a concentrated reading with literary depth in Heilbronn will experience an evening between family history, linguistic art, and social memory here. On the Cutting of a Family Tree promises not an easy entertainment but an intense literary experience that resonates long after. Hearing the novel live is worth it for this reason alone. ([rowohlt.de](https://www.rowohlt.de/veranstaltung/lesung-und-gespraech-martin-piekar-heilbronn-19412-261002?utm_source=openai))
Official Channels of Martin Piekar:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piekar_poetry/
- Facebook: No official profile found
- Website: https://martin-piekar.net/
- Publisher: https://www.rowohlt.de/autor/martin-piekar-44154
