International Authors' Stage

Meet the German author and journalist who for years has been uncovering social injustices with his ground-breaking methods

Not many companies or individuals in post-war Germany can have felt especially honoured by being portrayed in the works of Günther Walraff. This famous writer, a castigator of society, is known for his pioneering undercover journalism, where he, often cunningly disguised, has identified social injustices.

By means of his own body, he has explored everyday life on the margins of society. Numerous times he has changed identity and acted as an alcoholic, a drifter and a Turkish guest worker in order to describe the conditions of the German community's lower classes.

In 2008-2009, Walraff spent an entire year dressed as the Somali Kama Ogonno to depict everyday racism in Germany. The Swedish expression wallraffa, which means to act under secret identity, is named after him.

Wallraff was born in 1942 in Burscheid near Cologne. During the 1960s he was the pioneer author of a growing number of books about the working class, and has developed into one of the major community critics of post-war Germany. He is a controversial figure who, for good reason, has attracted attention throughout most of the world, and whose books have been published in numerous languages.

In the Diamond, Wallraff, in conversation with Marc Christoph Wagner, will talk about his work, his methods, and his books in particular – the latest being Aus der schönen neuen Welt from 2009.

The book will be published in Danish with the title Fra den fagre nye verden on 12 March by Per Kofos publishers.

Advance sales at the Black Diamond's reception, at  Billetlugen and Fona stores.

Members of the Diamond Club can order tickets on 3313 3020. Tickets to be collected no later than 14 after order placement. Remember to bring your membership card.

The event takes places in German with Danish summaries