Axel Hacke in Cologne

Axel Hacke is a German author, columnist and stage performer, born in Braunschweig in 1956. Known through his work for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, he writes humorous essays and stories about language, family life and everyday absurdities. His best-known books include Der kleine Erziehungsberater, Das Beste aus meinem Leben and Der weiße Neger Wumbaba, which grew out of readers’ misheard song lyrics. For years, Axel Hacke has toured theatres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland under the recurring title Axel Hacke liest und erzählt. He presents selections from his columns and books, while later programmes have drawn on works including Ein Haus für viele Sommer and Über die Heiterkeit in schwierigen Zeiten. Each performance is a solo spoken-word evening centered on the voice and texts of Axel Hacke.