Source: Siegener Zeitung – bestselling author Dora Heldt presented her new book in Bad Berleburg
Bad Berleburg. “I write all my books for myself” – meaning the kind of stories she would enjoy reading herself. This is how Hamburg-based bestselling author Dora Heldt described her work in an interview with the Siegener Zeitung.
Why a reading in the small town of Bad Berleburg? After 35 years working in sales, Heldt has significantly reduced her travel schedule and now carefully selects the locations for her readings.
“Family Matters”: Two women, two worlds
Her new novel focuses on two very different women, Johanne Johansen and Luise Gehrke. A deliberate choice, as Heldt explained: “They are meant to learn from each other; the further apart they are, the more interesting the journey becomes.”
She also offered insight into her writing process: at the beginning, she imagines the settings and characters in detail. Heldt walks through neighborhoods, searching for suitable houses for her characters. Two contrasting villas in the Hamburg districts of Winterhude and Blankenese served as inspiration for the homes of Johanne and Luise.
“It’s not always the muse that inspires you,” Heldt said about drawing ideas from real life. She imagines Luise as petite, wearing size 34–36 for years, dressed in tight beige jeans and fitted white blouses. Sunglasses always on her head, sun-kissed hair, and a visit to the hairdresser every six weeks costing 220 euros. Her typical restaurant order: “a small salad without dressing and a white wine spritzer.”
In her new novel, Dora Heldt writes about the Johansen shipping family and their business ups and downs. Inspiration came from “Der große Bellheim,” where the younger generation runs a company into the ground and the older generation must save it.
Johanne and Luise initially clash but gradually come to recognize and appreciate each other’s strengths. Luise, who relies heavily on external validation and has made herself dependent on her husband, can also be seen as a cautionary figure.
On women’s roles, dependency, and upbringing
Heldt commented: “This type of woman still exists today. I find it unbearable when a woman is so dependent on her partner. You can change that at any time.”
This perspective may be influenced by her upbringing. Her father, a Bundeswehr soldier, raised her very strictly. “He rejected any form of dependency,” she recalled. “It was important to him that we children became independent quickly and made decisions for ourselves.”
This applied equally to all siblings, regardless of gender. Her mother, on the other hand, embodied ease and calmness. Perhaps both elements – discipline and understanding – can be found in “Family Matters.”
Book recommendations and podcast
At the end, Dora Heldt spoke about books that inspire her. Recently, she was particularly impressed by the family novel “Where We Meet” by Anna Hope.