Recently, poet Durs Grünbein: "It gibtBücher, who have all read, only one is not – that are in refunds bestseller, pallets. They don't all have to be bad, because AberLebenszeit is precious, you just think about your waste. " Solchhochmütiger contempt and strict time economy is diametrically opposed to diehingebungsvolle waste of time, lust for LEKTÜRESOG, sometimes vielleichtauch only We devotion concern to miss something that wants to allehaben round about. This is how bestseller proofreaders and readers are created.

But how EntstehenBestseller? When is a book a bestseller? What fascinates us that Wirihnen wind canine chasing or despising m kamellippig? Wouldn't it be lucrative to plan bestsellers? But all recipes that you erfundenhat do not really work. Because y remain far too vague: simplicity, clarity, not more than two mes. What should be done with such supposedly scientific advice? Statistically speaking, too much Sexabträglich, even at Fifty Shades OfGrey.

Disgusting becomes a body wonder

What else? Jörg Magenau, an excellent literary critic and Autorvon books about authors like Christa Wolf, Martin Walser, Siegfried Lenz regulators brors Younger, does not plan ahead, but rar looks back. What said about us reading, when certain readings become mass, even epidemic, what does it say about general state of mind, about sensitivities, Ängsteund desires? Wher y are now betrayed as "successful sociological experiments", "Collective Dreams" or "cultural barometers" dubbed – bestsellers Sollenetwas About us, situation of country or state of world. Soerklärt Magenau himself and us youngest and still persistent welfare trees and boom of natural books not only with yearning for a no longer available nature, but at same time after a "socially democratic through organized society", in which The stronger are in solidarity with weaker.

So Bernhard Grzimek's Serengeti Book of 1959 made us TierliebenKolonisatoren at time, whereas Thilo Sarrazin was able to give a valve to neurotic fears of struggle for survival. Giulia Enders Charming gut-Ekelzwang makes disgusting to body wonders, thus denies CharlotteRoches wetlands, korrespondiertaber at same time with Richard David Prechts manifold in Botschaftgelassener self-acceptance. Art of living and self-help – clean souls in corrected bodies – physical and mental Gesundheitals part of entertainment industry.

Always, it seems, stehenHarmoniegeschichten such about hardness of life, Faith books, wher by Franz Alt or Dalai Lama, such of apocalypticism as at that time such as Robert Jungk. The redeemability of humanity and resolvability of world puzzles – as always vice versa. Waves of optimism about future with those of fear, similar to waves of Holland, Scandinavia or East German literature. Nazi horror Undwandernde search for meaning. We do not gain such a sharp contour here. As well? We are and are too many books. How exactly wollenwir know, if we dream in more loving nature, AufrichtigereProvinz and more secure pasts, as in opposite, to us prehuman incorrigibility, threatening Unbehausiten and SchrecklicherGeschichte creeps.

Weltzustanderklärungen between rice paddy and desert

The bestseller research does not even know exactly when one will register: at 50 thousand or two million copies? As Blockbusterüber a few weeks or as Longseller? National or international? Publishing or booksellers information? Also read or just bought? Magenau reminds of Diewundersame episode when time 1957 introduced "seller Teller", a monthly five-book schedule. It was based on survey among Geradeeinmal seven booksellers, who, among or things, brought book of DamaligenFeuilletonchefs Rudolf Walter Leonhardt 77mal England to plate immediately. In case of Spiegel, focus or book reports, market research companies are now taking care of this marketing instrument on basis of hundreds of dealers. Neverless, y come to quite of constructing results, because for example, one online trade, Anderenstationären book trade prefer.

Everything that Jörg Magenau unfolds equally kundigwie entertaining. He leads us to ourselves as readers as well as through business of book World around. But above all he calls us in fine miniatures and kräftigenPorträts old known, forgotten or permanently Geschätztein memory, from mor of all German-language non-fiction books, Cerams gods, tombs and scholars over Hildegard Knefs gifts Gaul Hispanics many Johann Mario Simmel's, towards Süskinds perfume or Schlinks reader, Scholl-Latour's world state declarations between paddy field and desert or HapeKerkelings soul hike to Compostella and up to presumably "mostly unread book" after 1989, Uwe Tellkamps tower.

He reads again what we have read or Hättensollen. "The story of bestsellers is a story of our fears UndSorgen," he writes at end. "No matter how disparate and contradictory unsereSehnsüchte were, y [ books] all had space in m." Here jedenfallsschreibt a connoisseur and lover of books, writing and reading. And so don't worry about ir future!

Jörg Magenau: "bestseller. Books We loved – and remedyed about us. " Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2018, 287 p., 22 euro

Date Of Update: 03 March 2018, 12:03