As part of the programme leading up to the eighth European Literature Festival Cologne-Kalk, themed “Shame”, we warmly invite you to a reading with Iryna Fingerova from her novel “Zugwind” (Rowohlt Verlag, 2026).

Moderator: Alexander Estis

About the Book

Mira Zehmann is a general practitioner, a mother and a wife. She comes from a Jewish family in Odesa and left Ukraine with her husband years ago to build a life of her own in Germany—for herself and her young daughter. But when bombs begin exploding in her former home, her world is thrown off balance, and a merciless draught sweeps through her life.

Her medical practice becomes a first port of call. A long line of Ukrainian patients forms, all seeking Mira’s comfort, healing and compassion. Could an affair help her overcome her resentment at her mother-in-law’s seemingly endless visit? As Mira watches her patients travel between worlds, one thing becomes clear: she must go to Odesa. She must visit her grandmother, who is over ninety, see the sea and go dancing with her friends.