Reading by Johannes Chudoba at the winery

The reading will take place at the Buschenschank!
Admission free
We look forward to a large attendance. 
Reservations can be made at +43 3313 2086.

Shadow Generation 1955
Novel
Juliane and the Legacy of Freedom
This book is a wake-up call – to us, our children, and subsequent generations. It tells of the scars of a generation that stood between silence, guilt, and new beginnings after 1945. In a brilliant manner, Johannes Chudoba interweaves the moving portrait of his mother, who frees herself from the snares of black pedagogy, with world events and societal change. This close connection makes it clear: Our origin shapes us – whether we acknowledge it or not.

Shadow Generation 1955 is more than a commentary on the anniversary year 2025 (end of the war, state treaty, EU accession) and a time haunted by unresolved conflicts of the past. It shows that the effects of authoritarian systems have not yet been socially overcome, while also illustrating how some individuals managed to break the vicious cycle of authoritarian education.

Even today, we have the choice: What do we carry forward? What do we leave behind?
This profoundly personal yet politically insightful book invites us to remember, to look closely, to understand – and to draw lessons from the life experiences of our parents that point us towards a better future. Uni-Press Graz Publishing

Johannes Chudoba
Johannes Chudoba, interculturalist, author, and entrepreneur, grew up in Turkey in the 1970s and in Graz during the final years of the Cold War. After studying in Moscow, Dublin, and Princeton, he worked for the UN in crisis missions (including in Afghanistan, Nepal, and Tajikistan). Since 2022, he has been living with his family in Vienna and Styria. His previous publications cover a wide range of topics in development cooperation in over 20 countries.