Kann es einen Menschen zweimal geben?
JOHANNA SEBAUER
Popóm
A Novel, ca. 176 pages
July 2026
English sample available soon
In search of closeness and commitment, a young man encounters his older self – and risks losing himself in the process
A story about isolation in our society, which can only be escaped by taking a step away from oneself and towards others
Sebauer tells a story about the great fear of change, loss and death that prevents one from living life to the fullest
An Encounter Like No Other
On Trying to Be Friends With Yourself
Hendrik Popom imagined his late twenties would be different. Nothing seems to be going right for him. He sits out his time at his agency job, and things with his girlfriend have been better. Then suddenly there is this man – Popóm. He is almost twice his age, yet Hendrik knows: this man is me.
Hesitantly, the two approach each other. Their relationship is full of riddles, affection and resistance. Sometimes they meet like brothers, sometimes like rivals, then again like mirror images that cannot bear each other. The more Hendrik neglects his own life and clings to Popóm, the more Popóm withdraws. In the company of his other self,
Hendrik hopes to find to find stability and safety from the small and large dramas that can befall anyone. When he confides in a colleague, he realizes that the price of withdrawing from life is too high.
A story about the longing for closeness in a time of isolation, about letting go and searching for a life that is truly one's own.
Popóm
A Novel, ca. 176 pages
July 2026
English sample available soon
In search of closeness and commitment, a young man encounters his older self – and risks losing himself in the process
A story about isolation in our society, which can only be escaped by taking a step away from oneself and towards others
Sebauer tells a story about the great fear of change, loss and death that prevents one from living life to the fullest
An Encounter Like No Other
On Trying to Be Friends With Yourself
Hendrik Popom imagined his late twenties would be different. Nothing seems to be going right for him. He sits out his time at his agency job, and things with his girlfriend have been better. Then suddenly there is this man – Popóm. He is almost twice his age, yet Hendrik knows: this man is me.
Hesitantly, the two approach each other. Their relationship is full of riddles, affection and resistance. Sometimes they meet like brothers, sometimes like rivals, then again like mirror images that cannot bear each other. The more Hendrik neglects his own life and clings to Popóm, the more Popóm withdraws. In the company of his other self,
Hendrik hopes to find to find stability and safety from the small and large dramas that can befall anyone. When he confides in a colleague, he realizes that the price of withdrawing from life is too high.
A story about the longing for closeness in a time of isolation, about letting go and searching for a life that is truly one's own.
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Johanna Sebauer
Johanna Sebauer, born in Vienna in 1988 and raised in a small Burgenland village near the Hungarian border, studied political science and journalism...
Johanna Sebauer, born in Vienna in 1988 and raised in a small Burgenland village near the Hungarian border, studied political science and journalism and worked in science communication. She has published short stories and essays in several anthologies.Her novel Nincshof won the Debut Prize of the Harbour Front Literature Festival in 2023 and was shortlisted forthe Hamburg Book of the Year 2023. Her text Das Gurkerl (DuMont 2026) was awarded both the 3sat Prize and theAudience Award at the Days...