Susanne Kerckhoff: A Biographical Essay

Reading and Discussion with Susanne Linzer

Blick in die Ausstellung "Lang ist es nicht her. Und jetzt ist es soweit." – Ein Panel mit Portraitaufnahme der Schriftstellerin Susanne Kerckhoff, im Hintergrund Besuchende in der Ausstellung.

Susanne Kerckhoff explored the extent to which an artist could exercise self-determination in the postwar literary world—a world in which women rarely held the authority to interpret works. After she took her own life in 1950, she was forgotten in both East and West.

Kerckhoff inquired into one’s intellectual stance because she saw it as the foundation of all action—both past and present. From this perspective, she analyzed the political conditions of her time and incorporated this analysis into her artistic work:

“…that a poet, whether he finds the right words or not, whether he writes love poems or paints floral motifs, must not lose sight of the point at which he must take a stand. Otherwise, the love song and what he writes about flowers—or everything he writes—is a lie. When people lose touch with political life, they end up paying a terrible price for it. And writers, in particular, must not lose this connection to political life.”—Susanne Kerckhoff

Through letters, conversations, and historical documents, Susanne Linzer sets out in search of clues. The result is a portrait that recounts Kerckhoff’s life based on primary sources. In conversation with curator Heike Albrecht, she presents her work.



Susanne Linzer, born in East Berlin, is a freelance author and director. She studied literature and history and has been developing cross-genre theater productions under the Monstertheater label since 1998. Since 2001, she has been writing audio descriptions for television, movie theaters, film festivals, and DVDs.Translated with DeepL

Next date:

• Date Thursday, 08/October/2026 19:00 bis 21:00
• Venue Mitte Museum
• Address Pankstraße 47, 13357 Berlin-Wedding