May 15, 8:15 p.m., and through July 13 on arte.tv

Jakobs Ross

Literary adaptation, Germany/France/Switzerland 2024

1870 in the Swiss Alps: Elsie, a maid with a natural talent for music, is forced into marriage with the stable hand Jakob and sent to a barren mountain farm. She dreams of becoming a singer; her husband Jakob dreams of social advancement and owning his own horse. When the musician Rico shows up, their marriage begins to falter. Based on Silvia Tschui’s debut novel, published in 2014. 

May 25, 11:40 p.m. and through August 22 on arte.tv

Arundhati Roy – Another History of India

With *The God of Small Things*, Arundhati Roy created a work of world literature in 1997 and became the first Indian author to win the Booker Prize. In a lengthy interview, she offers deep insights into her life and writing. An encounter with one of the most fearless writers of our time. 

Available on arte.tv since March 23

New Adult – The Boom in Romance Literature

Contemporary History Documentary, ARTE/ZDF 2025

Steamy love scenes, dark desires—all wrapped in glitter and pastels: As “New Adult Romance,” the pulp romance genre is currently experiencing a boom the book market has long dreamed of. The target audience: young women, who make up the vast majority of the readership. But is this really just about shallow stories with plenty of eroticism? We look behind the cover and ask authors, readers, and scholars why their hearts beat for the romance genre. 

Until May 31, 2026, on arte.tv

Rilke – You Must Change Your Life

Cultural documentary, Germany 2025

Born in Prague in 1875, Rainer Maria Rilke became the European poet par excellence during his lifetime. Today, pop stars like Lady Gaga wear his verses as tattoos. The documentary tells the story of how Rilke struggled for years to complete his magnum opus, “Duino Elegies.” 

Until June 21, 2026, on arte.tv

Novel, Sex & Satire: “Portnoy’s Complaint”

Cultural documentary, F 2025

In 1969, Philip Roth’s novel “Portnoy’s Complaint” triggered a literary and social earthquake. This confessional novel, as scandalous as it is hilarious, breaks taboos regarding sexuality, guilt, and Jewish religion and culture. Condemned as obscene by some, hailed as a masterpiece by others, it divided the U.S. and turned its author into a controversial icon. But would the book also cause a scandal if it were published today? 

At arte.tv/literature, you can watch additional documentaries on scandalous novels from world literature, including “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Art of Joy” by Goliarda Sapienza, and “Scandalous Loves” by Choderlos de Laclos.

Through Nov. 27 on arte.tv

“The Second Sex” – In the Footsteps of Simone de Beauvoir

Documentary, France 2024

During a trip to the U.S. following in the footsteps of Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), later feminists such as Judith Butler and Françoise Vergès take a fresh look at the 1949 essay “The Second Sex.”