Merkel’s memoirs, for which she received an advance of 12 million euros, are causing concern inside and outside Germany

At the headquarters of German political parties, secrecy about its contents causes concern, which acquires explosive potential in the face of the impending election campaign. Current leader of CDU, Friedrich Merz, This was his most formidable internal enemy and “any settlement of scores now would be disastrous,” he confesses at the Konrad Adenauer House. And on the other side of the river, in the Willie Brandt house, they’re afraid “Nostalgic effect.”

Nearly a year after leaving public life, Merkel remains a sociological phenomenon that transcends politics. His critics, in other parties and within his own, question historic decisions, such as opening the door to refugees in 2015 or maintaining a policy of rapprochement with Russia. But his memory remains intact among ordinary Germans, who, with the great majority, represent that peaceful Germany.

«German society is not as polarized as they pretend. On many issues, except for a few points exploited by entrepreneurs of polarization, a broad social center agrees,” describes sociologist Stephen Mouw, who has recently achieved success with his book ‘Trigger Points’ and Joe Merkel. It is clear from the memoirs that political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder, one of his harshest critics, believes that the ‘traffic light government’ was a disaster. Allows us to remember a great value of Merkel that many now envy: stability.

Translated into 30 languages

Without even knowing the text, his autobiography titled ‘Freedom’ was translated into more than 30 languages ​​at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair. Memories 1954 – 2021′. It is one of the most expensive and ambitious publishing projects in Germany in recent times.

Cologne-based publisher Kippenheuer & Witsch paid Merkel 12 million euros as advance payment And believes that the total remuneration for her political testament could reach 99 million, which the author summarizes in one sentence: “Without democracy there is no freedom.” However, among the hundreds of offers Merkel received, the fee was not the decisive criterion, but rather her rapport with the publisher’s director, Kerstin Gleba, who had published Heinrich Böll, Günter Wallraff and Joschka Fischer, all of whom could be classified in the elusive category. Are. Category on the left.

Gleba justifies, “Understanding how politics works and the great achievement of living in a democracy has rarely been more important than it is today.” In his opinion, “His memories open our eyes to the possibilities, the challenges, but above all the strength of our democracy. “They provide deep insight into the thoughts and actions of one of the most important leaders of our time and are a great asset to readers around the world.”

700 pages and 43 euros

Printing company CPI Clausen & Bos GmbH has forced its employees to sign confidentiality clauses to prevent leaks. Actress Corinna Harfouch, who like Merkel grew up in the GDR, has recorded the audiobook and has not disclosed the name of the studio.

We only knew that it contained about 700 pages and that it would cost about 43 euros until the first paragraphs of the weekly ‘Die Zeit’ were published as a preview. Merkel recalls the important NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, when “for Putin, the prospect of NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia was regarded as a declaration of war.”

Merkel recalled her first meeting with Trump at the White House. “I looked at everything from the perspective of a realtor who wants to acquire property. For him all countries competed with each other and the success of one was the failure of the other. He did not believe that cooperation could increase everyone’s prosperity.

In his private speech with Pope Francis months later, he addressed his concerns about Trump. “He just said, ‘Bend, bend, bend, but make sure it doesn’t break.’ And I liked that image,” he says.

He characterized Putin as “always alert to abuse and always ready to win… That was childish, obnoxious, you can shake your head.” But this did not mean that Russia disappeared from the map,” he reflects.

He also reviews his first election victory, when Social Democrat Gerhard Schröder refused to accept his defeat, an unprecedented event in the Federal Republic. He admits, “I was very doubtful that Schröder would have behaved the same way with any man.” And at age 70, he made one last confession: In recent months he has “deeply wished that Kamala Harris would win in the United States.”

Merkel wrote her book with four hands, without blacks, but with the essential assistance of her office manager, confidant and companion Beate Bauman. For two years, Monday through Friday, both have worked until eight in the morning in the office that Merkel has as former chancellor in an annex to the Bundestag, the same one that previously belonged to Helmut Kohl. From her window you can see an anonymous graffiti that fired her from office and that plays with the German feminine gender of the noun “chancellor”: “Will any man ever reach Bundeskanzlerin?”