About the work
„Drei ostdeutsche Frauen betrinken sich und gründen den idealen Staat“ (Three East German women get drunk and found the ideal state) is a conversational book published by Hanser in 2024, written by Annett Gröschner, Peggy Mädler and Wenke Seemann at the suggestion of their publisher. Henriette Hörnigk and Sophie Scherer developed a stage version from it, which premiered at Staatsschauspiel Dresden on 20 March 2025 under Hörnigk's direction.
Plot
Over the course of seven evenings, the three authors meet at places such as a kitchen table, a dacha and the banks of the Spree, drinking and talking about growing up in the GDR and their ideas of an ideal state. Between anecdote and analysis, a conversation unfolds about property, body image and the ghosts of the past, which eventually leads the three of them to found a fictional ideal state.
Cultural significance
Beyond literary criticism, the book drew attention in radio and television, including segments by taz, Tagesschau and the ZDF series Terra X. The stage version developed by Henriette Hörnigk and Sophie Scherer was, after its premiere at Staatsschauspiel Dresden, also performed at Theater und Orchester Neubrandenburg/Neustrelitz.