At least since his novel "Der Schwarm" (2004), in which an unknown intelligent life form from the sea threatens mankind, Frank Schätzing has been one of the most widely read writers in Germany. Born in Cologne, who turns 65 in May, he still lives with his wife Sabina in his hometown. His current book "What if we just save the world?" describes the drama of climate change. That's why it will also be on 26 March at its appearance at the literature festival lit. COLOGNE in Cologne.

Peter-Philipp Schmitt

Editor in the section "Germany and the World".

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What do you eat for breakfast?

I mix coffee with cocoa powder or melt a piece of chocolate in espresso. That's my start. So frugal. Served with croissant and orange marmalade. That's it. That is, every now and then scrambled eggs or fried eggs. And roasted walnut bread with brie and Parma ham. And another one with the good Cologne liver sausage. Pancakes are also welcome. With maple syrup. Oh, and a piece of lemon cake! Fresh smoothies. Is that still frugal?

Where do you buy your clothes?

Wherever something jumps at me. In London, the first path leads to Paul Smith, in Cologne to Daniels. I like to go shopping, but Sabina finds the coolest parts. Where clothes hang tightly packed on hangers that make me dizzy, she lets her gaze wander, pulls out a piece purposefully, and that's it!

What is the oldest piece of clothing in your closet?

The following: At the age of two, I was given a 50 centimeter high cuddly doll, a yogi bear made of plush and plastic. I didn't understand why I had something to wear and the bear didn't. My mother could tailor, so she gave in to my whining and sewed the bear a blue and yellow checkered jacket. Bear and jacket sit in the wardrobe today.

When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter?

To the scientists at the Neumayer Station in Antarctica. Adjacent to the station is a container, the southernmost library in the world. Great project! You can dedicate a book to the Neumayer team, it shouldn't necessarily be your own, so I chose H.P. Lovecraft's Antarctic story "Mountains of Madness" – accompanied by a handwritten letter to these remarkable adventurers who live in the eternal ice like on another planet.

Which book impressed you the most in life?

I don't have these lone frontrunners. Neither in literature nor film or music. More of a top ten that is constantly changing. But whoever is on it is Franz Kafka. I consider "The Metamorphosis" to be the best literary horror story of all time. Factual, gruesome, unsurpassed.

How do you inform yourself about world events?

Via all reputable news channels, in parallel, around the clock.

What's your best topic for small talk?

That which interests my interlocutors the most. You're off the hook.

Which film was the last time you cried?

"Bambi". In the cinema. At that time I was still very small and my horror at the death of Bambi's mother was all the greater. The cinema was full of children. A single pitiful complaint against the injustice of fate.

Are you superstitious?