August von Kotzebue – Der Spätheimkehrer, oder: Ubi bene, ibi patria?
What does “home” mean for a writer who moved with ease between Weimar, Vienna, St Petersburg and Berlin—celebrated on international stages yet increasingly mistrusted in his homeland? In this guest contribution, Frieder Sondermann (Sendai, Japan) explores August von Kotzebue’s letters to the Viennese theatre secretary Carl J. S. Escherich, uncovering a world of theatrical logistics, censorship politics, and finely tuned social manoeuvring.
Presented at “Kotzebue Picnic 2025: Homecoming,” the essay offers a vivid portrait of a restless author whose repeated returns only deepened the question: ubi bene, ibi patria? A rich glimpse into theatre culture around 1800—and into the emotional geography of a man navigating the shifting borders of his age.