Reading with Wladimir Kaminer - The Secret Life of the Germans

When Germans go looking for the exotic, they travel to distant lands - when all they'd need to do is turn the corner. Because right in the middle of Germany you can find liquid gold, join in strange dances, or witness a coronation. Wladimir Kaminer approaches the everyday life of Germans with affectionate patience and friendly curiosity - and a sharp sense of humour. His stories reveal sides of the country and its people that most people never notice.

"Many people spend a lot of money on long-haul travel because they want to experience something exotic, and in doing so they miss the real adventure right on their doorstep. To understand the world, you don't need to seek its end - you just need to find the place where it begins." Wladimir Kaminer

Wladimir Kaminer was born in 1967 in Moscow. He trained as a sound engineer for theatre and radio, then studied dramaturgy at the Moscow Theatre Institute. Since 1990 he has lived in Berlin, regularly publishing in newspapers and magazines and organising events such as his internationally renowned "Russendisko". That short-story collection and the many books that followed have made him one of the most widely read authors in Germany today. All his books are also available as audiobooks - read by himself.