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Diversity of work: Heike Geißler highlights winners and losers
Heike Geißler and Annett Gröschner discuss new works about work and women's lives in the 20th century at the Kempowski Foundation.
Diversity of work: Heike Geißler highlights winners and losers
Heike Geißler, a system-critical author from Leipzig, has published her new book “Working”, a work that illuminates the complex meaning of work in our society. Her approximately 120-page essay is about material and invisible work, winners and losers. Geißler meets a variety of people in her environment - from real estate sharks to the homeless - and notices huge gaps between survival and growth. bremenzwei.de reports that this book is more than just a reckoning with the world of work under neoliberal auspices. It is a deep reflection on your own actions.
The book immerses the reader in impressive, sensual scenes and thus illustrates the ubiquity of work. Geißler manages to move smoothly from the specific to the general, thereby building a bridge to the many facets of the working world. She encourages us to question the work behind everyday objects. It shows how often the origin of things remains almost invisible in a globalized world. Her writing style is described as personal, vulnerable and lively and allows readers to feel how the conditions of work are perceived among friends and in the neighborhood hanser-literaturverlage.de.
A look at “floating loads”
In addition to Geißler's work, the author Annett Gröschner published her novel “Floating Lasts”. The story revolves around Hanna Krause, a flower arranger and crane operator from Magdeburg who lives in turbulent times. Her narrative spans two revolutions, two dictatorships, two world wars and two democracies. What is particularly impressive is the depiction of how she has to continue fighting despite the loss of two of her children. Her life symbolizes the challenges that traditional women had to overcome in the 20th century. The end of the industrial age also becomes the central theme of the novel bremenzwei.de.
What does “work” mean?
The definition of “work” goes back a long way. Der Ursprung des Wortes ist im mittelhochdeutschen „arbeit“ verankert, das wiederum auf das althochdeutsche „arbeit“ zurückgeht und aus dem proto-westgermanischen *arbaiþi entspringt. Es geht zurück auf das proto-germanische *arbaidiz und hat seine Wurzeln im proto-indoeuropäischen *h₃órbʰos, was „Waise, Diener, Sklave“ bedeutet. In der heutigen Sprachverwendung bezeichnet „Arbeit“ eine Vielzahl an Tätigkeiten – von Mühe und regelmäßiger Beschäftigung bis hin zu wirtschaftlicher Tätigkeit oder einem Beruf. Synonyms include employment, profession or gainful employment. wiktionary.org.
The topic of work is also treated in Geißler's and Gröchner's works with a naturalness that opens up new perspectives for readers. The recording of an event at the Kempowski Foundation Haus Kreienhoop will be broadcast on October 1, 2025 and could offer an exciting opportunity to further deepen the thoughts of both authors.