The Drunken Saxon - Thomas Kaufmann

Paul has long wanted to write off his wife as an extraordinary burden, but she's still here: "de Muddi" - a great habitual love and his ultimate nemesis all at once. He contradicted her only once. Since then, he hears nothing in his left ear.

No wonder Paul is still sobering up 30 years after that drunken wedding night. But whoever staggers sees more of the road. Meanwhile, they sleep separately, but the sacrament of marriage still lies like a curse upon their blessing.

Paul increasingly stumbles through life alone. With half-baked knowledge, he assembles an IKEA bed without instructions, only to discover he's bought a shelf. His new "friend" Alexa can't help either. Better natural stupidity than artificial intelligence.

Ultimately, a man must do what a man must do. Unless de Muddi sees it differently - then he doesn't. Soon they'll celebrate their "flower wedding." Then she'll wilt and he'll vanish.

And although alcohol is chemically speaking a solution, soberly speaking, being drunk was really better.

With "My Friend, the Drunken Saxon," Thomas Kaufmann created a tribute to the late cabaret artist Olaf Böhme, which moved many a guest to tears - both from laughter and from emotion.

Now he takes Paul, the drunken Saxon, by the hand once more and leads him into the present day. Of course, not without packing all those previously unmentioned treasures into his shopping bag. Because there's still so much to tell: about knitted dresses and canaries, about lingerie and Tupperware containers, about holidays, cars, and other catastrophes.