"Frei-Zeit in der Gegenwartsliteratur" is an ambiguous term, referring to the notion of freedom on the one hand and to free time (in terms of leisure activities) on the other. The volume analyses contemporary German, Austrian and Swiss literature with regard to the multifaceted concept of "Frei-Zeit". In so doing, various research areas are being addressed, e.g. literature and media, literature of memory, children's and youth literature, ecocriticism, literature of migration, literature and space, and narratology.