BACK TO REALITY

Robert Misik in conversation with Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Claus Leggewie

BACK TO REALITY

Bright-eyed and bright-eyed, just as loyal to the love of contradiction as to the mixture of realpolitik and utopia: an undaunted look back to the future.
Disasters should not be taken personally, even if one hope after another fades: the hope for lasting peace, for a strong Europe, for multicultural coexistence, for a sustainable global society.
What went wrong, where are the mistakes, but also: What is possible despite everything? Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Claus Leggewie look back without illusions, without tearfulness, without anger and without dogmatism, and at the same time right into the centre of current reality.
Their unconventional thinking and long political experience made them both sought-after commentators, whether on the Middle East conflict, the rise of the right or French and US politics. The insights gained from long discussions are particularly valuable in a politically sensitive situation such as the current one.
In this book, they talk about milestones in their lives and also reveal lesser-known facts, such as their challenging consultancy work for Merkel and Macron.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, called Dany, icon of the French May 1968 and became known as an anti-authoritarian authority of the 70s. He did not become a professional revolutionary, but a kindergarten teacher, bookseller, publisher of the Sponti magazine 'Pflasterstrand', Realo leader of the Greens, 1990 city councillor for multicultural affairs in Frankfurt, then a member of the European Parliament for twenty years, alternately as a top candidate in Germany and France.
Today, he is the author of documentary films, a debate speaker and commentator on current affairs in the French and German media.

Claus Leggewie, born in 1950, political scientist and publicist. Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen for ten years and advisor to the German government on global environmental change. 2021 Honorary Fellow at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles.
Currently Ludwig Börne Professor at the University of Giessen and initiator of the »Panel on Planetary Thinking«, which blurs the boundaries between nature and culture. His books published by Wagenbach include »Die Konsultative. Mehr Demokratie durch Bürgerbeteiligung« (with Patrizia Nanz) and "Die Visegrád-Connection. A challenge for Europe" (with Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski).

Moderation Robert Misik, Author and journalist

Claus Leggewie, Daniel Cohn-Bendit
Back to reality. A political friendship
Wagenbach Verlag 2025, ISBN 978-3-8031-3753-1, 24,- €