At the Lit.Cologne, seconded by Ulrich Matthes, Didier Eribon called for a lobby for the elderly, those in need of care and the dying.
It’s not immediately noticeable because the man on stage seems so friendly, quiet and well-mannered, but the reading and conversation with Didier Eribon at the Lit.Cologne literature festival have a society-changing power. The Cologne Cultural Church has long been sold out; the French sociologist has been considered a star, at least in Germany, since he used his own family history to explain the rise of right-wing populism in Western Europe in his book “Return to Reims” and put today’s class barriers up for debate. He suspects that his current book, “The Worker,” will have a much more difficult time. A similar success would be desirable for him and there are some signs of that this evening.