Lowest of the Low

• Winner of the Hermann Kesten Prize 2020 (awarded by PEN Centre Germany)

With a German-language print run of over five million copies and translations in more than 30 countries, Günter Wallraff’s field report as Ali the Turk not only became one of the most sensational international publishing successes ever but also had a “resounding political effect” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). Eleven years after his first attempt in the role of a foreigner, in 1984 Günter Wallraff experienced West German reality from a perspective usually inaccessible to Germans, living a reality more reminiscent of South Africa’s apartheid regime than of the much-vaunted constitutional democracy. In his role as the Turk Ali Levent, he worked at McDonald’s, as an unofficial contract worker at a major construction site as well as for an illegal employment agency at Thyssen/Duisburg and as a guinea pig for a drug trial, among other things. He experienced how Turks are literally seen and treated as the “scum of the earth,” used not just as “stopgaps” for the economy, but above all as cheap, all-purpose labor, for the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs. Despite damage to his health, despite all the misanthropy and humiliation he endured, in his role as Ali Levent Günter Wallraff also had positive, constructive experiences: the solidarity and friendship of his colleagues. Unlike during his time in the editorial offices of Bild (“Der Aufmacher”), where he had to disavow himself completely, as Ali he always retained a piece of himself, even though he couldn’t reveal his identity. The publication of his experiences in the book “Ganz unten” (October 1985) had exceptionally widespread repercussions. The press and television turned its attention to the issue of temporary subcontracted labor, putting pressure on politicians and employers. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the public prosecutor paid visits to numerous illegal employment agencies, leading to legal proceedings. To effectively help foreigners, Günter Wallraff established the aid fund “Ausländersolidarität” (“Solidarity with Foreigners”) and donated a large portion of his professional fees to a residential model planned for Duisburg, where foreigners and Germans will live together side-by-side.