Gregor Gysi - "Auf eine Currywurst mit Gregor Gysi"

An autobiographical look behind the scenes of the political world. Gregor Gysi—more open and personal than ever before.
Gregor Gysi reads and discusses excerpts from *One Life Is Not Enough. The Autobiography” and presents his latest books, “What Politicians Don’t Say...” and “Over a Currywurst with Gregor Gysi.” In “What Politicians Don’t Say...”—with the apt subtitle “...because it’s about majorities, not truths!” —he explains how communication works in the political arena, why members of parliament aren’t selected based on professionalism, what speaking time limits apply in the Bundestag, and why, on talk shows, he addresses the audience first and foremost rather than his fellow panelists.
For years, Hans-Dieter Schütt has accompanied Gregor Gysi to his book events, resulting in numerous conversations that are collected in *Over a Currywurst with Gregor Gysi*. In these short interviews at the food stand, the lawyer and politician comes across as quick-witted, worldly-wise, and more open and personal than ever before. In this exclusive book of interviews, Gysi and Schütt discuss speaking and silence, the future of the Left Party, and the craft of writing books.
Gregor Gysi offers an anecdote-filled look behind the scenes of the political world and recounts his many lives as a lawyer, politician, author, and host—and, not least, as a family man. A life and family history that spans from Russia to Rhodesia and includes everyday courtroom encounters with murderers and thieves, as well as praise from Lenin and Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing. Host Hans-Dieter Schütt will guide the audience through the evening, during which current political topics will also be thoroughly covered.

Gregor Gysi, born in 1948, is a lawyer and politician. As a lawyer, he represented Robert Havemann, Rudolf Bahro, and other dissidents, among others. 1989–1992: Party chairman of the PDS. 1990–2002 and 2005–2015: Parliamentary group leader of the PDS and the Left Party. He remains a member of the Bundestag. From December 2016 to December 2019, he served as president of the Party of the European Left. In 2020, he was appointed foreign policy spokesperson for the Die Linke parliamentary group in the Bundestag and stepped down from that position in September 2023.
Like hardly any other German politician, Gregor Gysi was reviled and insulted by his political opponents. And hardly anyone fought back through the dense thicket of hostility as cleverly, unerringly, and successfully as he did: Gregor Gysi. Today, he is one of Germany’s most popular politicians, across all party lines.
Gregor Gysi has shaped left-wing thought, became one of its most important figures, and achieved widespread recognition. His autobiography is a book of history and personal stories that reflects the upheavals and extremes, the aspirations and disappointments of the 20th century in a very personal way, bringing them to life. Gregor Gysi recounts his childhood and youth, describes his path to becoming a lawyer, and offers insights into his relationship with dissidents and the tensions at the top of the party and the parliamentary caucus. Above all, however, he recounts the astonishing turn his life took following the historic events of the fall of 1989. The lawyer becomes a politician: “I never wanted to just run away,” says Gysi, thereby touching on a core aspect of his character: enduring contradictions!

Hans-Dieter Schütt, born in Ohrdruf in 1948, studied theater studies in Leipzig and served as an editor and editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper “Junge Welt” in the GDR. He has published numerous essays, biographies, and books of interviews. Among other projects, he contributed to Gregor Gysi’s autobiography *Ein Leben ist zu wenig* (*One Life Is Not Enough*), the book *Was Politiker nicht sagen* (*What Politicians Don’t Say*), and *Auf eine Currywurst mit Gregor Gysi* (*Over a Currywurst with Gregor Gysi*).

Doors open at approximately 1:30 p.m.

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