KD Wolff's life story is unrivalled in its richness and diversity. As a protagonist of the 1968 movement, he fought with wit and courage against the oppressive silence of the post-war period and mobilised against the Vietnam War. All this cost him 38 criminal proceedings. And he gave such cheeky answers to a US Senate committee that he was banned from entering the USA for decades. When KD Wolff founded the publishing house Roter Stern (later Stroemfeld / Roter Stern), his struggle continued. With the venture of a new complete edition of Hölderlin's writings, he pitted himself against established German studies and irritated political companions. At the time, it was hardly foreseeable that the edition would later set an international precedent – nor could one reasonably expect the success of Klaus Theweleit's ‘Männerphantasien’ or Peter Kurzeck's books, an auhor whom KD Wolff discovered and promoted. Due to eventually running out of money in 2018, though, he was unable to complete his masterpiece, the Kafka edition. This book is the captivating life story of a 'publisher in the public interest' and a sweeping journey through recent German history.
