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Es ist die Leichtigkeit, die den Herrn am Tisch von der Putzfrau unterscheidet
Lea Stein reist zu einem Bewerbungsgespräch ins Hotel Schillerhof Resort & Spa – ihre letzte Chance auf einen Neuanfang. Die junge Mutter hofft auf einen Job beim Literaturagenten Erwin Groß. Während Lea durch die Welt der Wohlhabenden laviert – unsicher, beobachtend, rechnend –, putzen Migrantinnen die Zimmer und halten die luxuriöse Fassade aufrecht. Erwin Groß schläft schlecht, trotz Erfolg, und sucht jemanden für die unangenehmen Aufgaben – günstig, versteht sich.
Als ein Autor tot in seinem Zimmer aufgefunden wird, ändert sich alles: Wer darf hier sein? Wer muss gehen? Und wer entfernt das Blut aus dem Teppich?
Slata Roschal erzählt mit messerscharfer Präzision von Klassenunterschieden, die sich in Trinkgeldern, gebügelten Servietten und Sitzordnungen manifestieren. Ein Roman über Menschen, die servieren, und Menschen, die sich bedienen lassen – lakonisch, bitterkomisch und von erschreckender Gegenwärtigkeit.
Als ein Autor tot in seinem Zimmer aufgefunden wird, ändert sich alles: Wer darf hier sein? Wer muss gehen? Und wer entfernt das Blut aus dem Teppich?
Slata Roschal erzählt mit messerscharfer Präzision von Klassenunterschieden, die sich in Trinkgeldern, gebügelten Servietten und Sitzordnungen manifestieren. Ein Roman über Menschen, die servieren, und Menschen, die sich bedienen lassen – lakonisch, bitterkomisch und von erschreckender Gegenwärtigkeit.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2026
It is women in precarious living situations who keep the luxury hotel Schillerhof Resort & Spa running: In Slata Roschal’s new novel an entire chorus of cleaning staff appears, offering a glimpse into this unique professional world against the backdrop of the main plot. The protagonist, Lea Stein, also feels out of place amid the sophisticated cuisine and wellness offerings—but for different reasons: The depressed young mother dreams of a divorce and a fresh start, but she needs money to make that happen. She has traveled to the hotel for a job interview with literary agent Erwin Groß, which—like the novel itself—spans from Thursday to Monday—and increasingly takes on the nature of a therapeutic endeavor.
And now for the crime plot: an author of conventional serialized novels in this genre arrives at the hotel for a reading and is promptly murdered. When the French philosopher and literary critic Roland Barthes proclaimed the “death of the author” in the late 1960s, he meant that texts should be interpreted independently of their creator’s person and intentions. In Roschal’s novel, the author literally dies, and Lea and Erwin begin a half-hearted investigation into the incident. More important, however, is another question that lingers over the novel: What does an author need to survive? Without him, there is no text, and Roschal wants to fuel the discussion about what the writer’s work is worth.
At the heart of the novel are questions of class and habitus, which Lea and Erwin explore in numerous conversations: she, the young woman from Munich with a Russian immigrant background who desperately needs a job, and he, the financially well-off man in his mid-fifties who makes his living from literature and knows that classism is, above all, a highly sought-after subject in his field. Roschal—who, like Lea, was born in St. Petersburg, has a child, and lives in Munich—is very familiar with the literary world. To portray the situation of the hotel housekeepers, she conducted numerous interviews.
Housekeeping staff are the backbone of a luxury hotel, just as writers are the backbone of the literary world. Whether their work is meant to be a luxury and to what extent these vibrant literary personalities must cater to media dynamics, these are the questions that preoccupy Roschal—and they led her to walk out of the studio during the Bachmann Prize competition.
The discussion of Roschal’s text by the Bachmann judges was dominated by her refusal to stay and listen to them—a minor scandal. The novel based on the text is dominated by questions about socioeconomic situations, particularly of its female characters. The vignettes about the cleaning staff and the crime plot take a back seat to the conversations between Lea and Erwin; at times, the narrative structure feels a bit disjointed. However, the debate on the situation of professional writers—courageously initiated by Roschal—is undoubtedly long overdue.
You can now listen to the podcast gang discussing the novel and Roschal's positions here: https://papierstaupodcast.de/podcast/... (incl. bits from our interview with the author!)
And now for the crime plot: an author of conventional serialized novels in this genre arrives at the hotel for a reading and is promptly murdered. When the French philosopher and literary critic Roland Barthes proclaimed the “death of the author” in the late 1960s, he meant that texts should be interpreted independently of their creator’s person and intentions. In Roschal’s novel, the author literally dies, and Lea and Erwin begin a half-hearted investigation into the incident. More important, however, is another question that lingers over the novel: What does an author need to survive? Without him, there is no text, and Roschal wants to fuel the discussion about what the writer’s work is worth.
At the heart of the novel are questions of class and habitus, which Lea and Erwin explore in numerous conversations: she, the young woman from Munich with a Russian immigrant background who desperately needs a job, and he, the financially well-off man in his mid-fifties who makes his living from literature and knows that classism is, above all, a highly sought-after subject in his field. Roschal—who, like Lea, was born in St. Petersburg, has a child, and lives in Munich—is very familiar with the literary world. To portray the situation of the hotel housekeepers, she conducted numerous interviews.
Housekeeping staff are the backbone of a luxury hotel, just as writers are the backbone of the literary world. Whether their work is meant to be a luxury and to what extent these vibrant literary personalities must cater to media dynamics, these are the questions that preoccupy Roschal—and they led her to walk out of the studio during the Bachmann Prize competition.
The discussion of Roschal’s text by the Bachmann judges was dominated by her refusal to stay and listen to them—a minor scandal. The novel based on the text is dominated by questions about socioeconomic situations, particularly of its female characters. The vignettes about the cleaning staff and the crime plot take a back seat to the conversations between Lea and Erwin; at times, the narrative structure feels a bit disjointed. However, the debate on the situation of professional writers—courageously initiated by Roschal—is undoubtedly long overdue.
You can now listen to the podcast gang discussing the novel and Roschal's positions here: https://papierstaupodcast.de/podcast/... (incl. bits from our interview with the author!)
August 14, 2026
Wie sehr können zwei Menschen über Tage aneinander vorbei reden? Im neusten Werk von Slarta Roschal sind Lea, die verzweifelt einen Job sucht, und Literaturagent Erwin, bei dem sie anheuern will und der einer ganz anderen Klasse entstammt, in der man weniger weltliche Probleme hat (und diese oft gar nicht versteht). Ergänzt werden die Gespräche der beiden durch Reinigungskräfte, die sich im Hotel durchschlagen, und einen literarischen Krimisubplot zum "Tod des Autors".
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #353: Maximal asozial.
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #353: Maximal asozial.
August 1, 2026
Die Prämisse dieses Buches fand ich sehr ansprechend, aber der Schreibstil hat mich verzweifeln lassen. Endlos aneinander gehängte Sätze, keine Absätze, alles ein Textblock, inklusive Dialogen.
„Stream of Consciousness“ nennt man das wohl, für mich war es eher „Strain on Consciousness,“ so anstrengend liest es sich.
Einige Beobachtungen waren echt gut und raffiniert, aber der Preis, diesen Schreibstil für ein ganzes Buch durchzuhalten, war mir zu hoch. Und warum liegt es mal wieder im Trend, Anführungszeichen wegzulassen? Zum Haare raufen.
Dieser Titel war leider nichts für mich.
Danke an NetGalley und Ullstein Buchverlage für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar!
„Stream of Consciousness“ nennt man das wohl, für mich war es eher „Strain on Consciousness,“ so anstrengend liest es sich.
Einige Beobachtungen waren echt gut und raffiniert, aber der Preis, diesen Schreibstil für ein ganzes Buch durchzuhalten, war mir zu hoch. Und warum liegt es mal wieder im Trend, Anführungszeichen wegzulassen? Zum Haare raufen.
Dieser Titel war leider nichts für mich.
Danke an NetGalley und Ullstein Buchverlage für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews