Life is a somersault

Life is very much like a somersault, a realization that often comes only in the last third of it. Time seems to spin faster and faster. Just the other day, I packed away the Christmas decorations in the basement, and now there’s already a tree in the room ready to be decorated again. In his new book, Bernd Lutz Lange aims to counteract the fast pace of time with anecdotal treasures. He shares stories from various eras, featuring painters, actors, and publishers, as well as schoolboys, students, and diligent learners. He recounts tales of celebrities like Ringelnatz and Fallada, from a time when freedom was still a dream. It’s a cheerful book with a touch of melancholy. From Mendelssohn to Masur, from Ringelnatz to Reimann to Rühmann, and from Schorsch Mayer to Wolfgang Mattheuer - they all have their say here. The author and cabaret artist B.