Instead of an autobiography, which Timm claims he will never write, this is a collection of his autobiographically inspired writings: his Roman records Vogel friss die Feige nicht and the works Am Beispiel meines Bruders and Der Freund und der Fremde. The author has reviewed and revised these texts. He writes about his own life and the life of people who have been important to him – his older brother who was killed in action in Russia, friend and lyricist Benno Ohnesorg, who was shot dead by a police bullet, dramatist Heinar Kipphardt. Through these people, we gain an impression of the war and post-war years, the Adenauer era of the fifties and the turbulent APO years. He also explores the relationship between life, politics and art by examining such historical characters as Caravaggio and Antonio Gramsci.
