Kulturtage in Simmerath: Lesung Reinhold Beckmann

Reading with Reinhold Beckmann.

Reinhold Beckmann tells and reads from his deeply moving book. His "Spiegel" bestseller about the life of his mother Aenne is a monument against forgetfulness, especially now that war has returned to Europe – and it is at the same time a work full of love and hope.

The life of Reinhold Beckmann's mother Aenne was marked by loss early on. She was an orphan by the age of five. She had four brothers, all of whom fell in the war. And yet, it was a successful life. Unlike many of her generation, she never stayed silent about her grief and fears. Aenne's brothers and parents remained ever-present, in conversations, photographs, memorial days, and memories.
In his book, Reinhold Beckmann tells the story of his mother and her brothers Franz, Hans, Alfons, and Willi set against the backdrop of harsh village life, Catholic tradition, and the beginning of dictatorship. And of what war does to people when no one comes back.

Throughout her life, Aenne was never released from the fate of her brothers – and it also shaped the life of Reinhold Beckmann: Showing a stance against war and violence was a matter of course for both.

Born in 1956, Reinhold Beckmann is primarily known as a sports reporter. As a presenter and journalist, he has worked for WDR, Premiere, SAT.1, and ARD, among others. Beckmann has written several books and released three solo albums as a musician.