Language with wit, pace, and depth.
Reading with Vea Kaiser
February 7, 2026
When Vea Kaiser reads, language unfolds with wit, momentum, and a keen sensitivity to social fractures. On February 7, she will be a guest at Refugium, presenting her novel Fabula Rasa or The Queen of the Grand Hotel – a fast-paced and insightful story about ambition, responsibility, and the pursuit of a self-determined life.
Set in Vienna at the end of the 1980s, the novel leads into the world of a grand hotel that serves as both stage and mirror. With linguistic brilliance and narrative lightness, Vea Kaiser portrays a woman who claims her place – navigating numbers, power structures, and personal choices.
An afternoon for those who love literature that entertains while it resonates. Words that linger, thoughts that stay – framed by the calm and intimate atmosphere of Refugium.
As part of our literary cycle, selected authors are welcomed as guests at Refugium. Curated by Petra Hartlieb, who has accompanied us from the very beginning with her fine sense for voices, themes, and remarkable books, the series brings together writers whose works touch, surprise, or simply wish to be told – each in their own distinctive way.
Those who wish can combine the reading with a stay: time for conversation, for retreat, or for a good book that continues to echo long after the last page.
