(smow)liest 2010: Grillsaison by Philipp Kohlhöfer

(smow)liest, Liesmichl holds: Grillsaison by Philipp Kohlhöfer.

It’s not easy being German.

It really isn’t.

Fortunately, it can be highly entertaining; as Philipp Kohlhöfer more than eloquently demonstrated to a full house at the opening event of (smow)liest 2010 in the (smow)room in Leipzig.

From David Hasselhoff karoake with South-Central LA gangsters to dinner with Nelly Furtado via the moral dilemmas of associating oneself with childless individuals, Philipp Kohlhöfer led the audience through an amusing, and at times highly poetic, evening of anecdotes, observation and memories.

One of the real joys of the reading was that the majority of the stories told would never happen to the majority of the audience. They are the stories that evolve in the work of a journalist. Those side events associated with the real work. “Normal” people don’t go there, can’t go there and if offered the chance probably wouldn’t want to go there.

Journalists often only realise later that they were even there.

And yet despite the fact that the listeners couldn’t always place themselves in the situations Philipp Kohlhöfer found himself in, they could empathise with his handling of the situation, and somehow knew that he had done the right thing.

Or at least assumed he had, largely due to Philipp Kohlhöfers, relaxed, friendly and highly competent presentation style.

If we are genuinely to believe that this was Philipp Kohlhöfer’s first public reading, then we have to ask why.
Grillsaison by Philipp Kohlhöfer is guaranteed not a book for everyone; but if you are looking for a tome to keep you entertained on the journey to work, or as a companion for longer flights, then the format combined with Philipp Kohlhöfer’s easy, flowing style and the absurdity of the stories should make the journey a little more bearable.

Grillsaison by Philipp Kohlhöfer is published by Goldmann.

High above the mean streets of downtown Leipzig, Philipp Kohlhöfer reads from his debut book, Grillsaison.