On the west-eastern divan

We live in a world in which – as I believe I can deduce with some certainty from observation – the extent of a person’s knowledge of the world is almost necessarily inversely proportional to their need to teach other people. Therefore, before any reader feels compelled to point this out, I would like to say: I am well aware that Goethe’s “West-Eastern Divan”, which is of course alluded to here, is not one on which one could sit. Nor do I want the “West-Eastern” to be understood as narrowly as the allusion to Goethe might suggest.

This column is about experiences in Russia, North America, developments in Germany and the cultural clash that we are currently experiencing – from my very subjective perspective. Above all, it is the long history of my journey to Russia and my experiences there, also against the backdrop of global political events and the contempt that the country is currently facing, which I would like to contrast with my very personal experiences here.