He simply enjoys reading, says the Chancellor. Sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes non-fiction, sometimes more novels. Olaf Scholz sees books as a “wonderful addition” to all the conversations and impressions he collects as a politician “South German newspaper” once told. “Books add a literary component to my experiences, and I don’t want to miss that.”
The fact that we should take Scholz at his word is shown by his reaction to the ongoing discussion about the annoying T-word: “I am the Chancellor, and that’s why this applies.” In this respect, it only seems logical that book enthusiast Scholz will also be a guest when the Leipzig Book Fair opens on Wednesday evening. A solidarity visit for stimulating reading, if you will.
A look at the book is also important to Scholz’s cabinet members, like one star-Survey among all federal ministries shows. Many ministers responded to our request, some of them may have already had their noses deep into the next book, or had to cancel due to time constraints (Defense Minister Pistorius) or health reasons (Agriculture Minister Özdemir). But Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze, SPD, probably speaks for most of her cabinet colleagues when she says: “Books help me to switch off and move into a completely different world.” But, this much can be revealed in advance, not for everyone. Read all the answers (and reading tips) in our photo gallery.
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