Born: January 27, 1975 in Bremen
Profession: Writer, journalist, presenter
Education: German Studies (dropped out), radio and newspaper internships
Status: typewriter
Now it’s finally here, the new novel by Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre. And everyone can check whether all the murmuring in advance was justified. Is Still awake? the ultimate literary reappraisal of the scandal surrounding ex-image boss Julian Reichelt? The great German #MeToo roman à clef? He will definitely hit. Because Stuckrad-Barre has long had this rather unique status – he only has to clear his throat and half of Germany is watching. On Instagram he published a promotional film for the book, in which seventy celebrities always recited the same sentence for him (“Then the women don’t have to be surprised either”). Who else does that? But of course the whole thing is now even more interesting because Stuckrad-Barre wrote exclusively for Springer-Blätter for ten years; because he in all seriousness wrote a play for Axel Springer’s 100th birthday, which Springer boss Mathias Döpfner then gave to Springer’s widow Friede; because he was quite close with Döpfner, but then made public an incredibly embarrassing SMS from Döpfner in the course of the Reichelt case. The release of Still awake? so it could catch fire. But you have to give Stuckrad-Barre that too: He was never afraid of fire. Sometimes he even puts himself in the middle.