The packed hall, the focused mood and a clearly engaged audience made one thing evident: this event struck a chord. The reading and discussion evolved into an exploration of our democratic foundations that was both thoughtful and entertaining.
Minor deviations from the original schedule did nothing to diminish the evening. Franzobel arrived slightly later due to a delayed train, and Clemens Jabloner had to leave earlier than planned. This, however, did not affect the momentum of the event—on the contrary: the audience remained fully engaged, listening intently, responding with reflection at some moments and laughter at others.
Franzobel’s literary contribution, in particular, captured the audience’s attention. He addressed key challenges of our time, but did so humorously by relocating them to a world long before our own—a world of dinosaurs. This unusual perspective allowed contemporary societal questions to be explored with both lightness and depth.
The evening impressively demonstrated how fruitful the interplay between literature and legal scholarship can be—and how strong the public interest is in an open, accessible engagement with the Austrian Federal Constitution.