In what the author himself calls "back-of-the-head stories," Rainer Malkowski offers concise observations and snapshots that create a vast space for reflection through his art of linguistic condensation. In addition to these prose texts published in 2000 under the title "In the Dark, One Gets Drunk Faster," the volume also includes texts from his estate under the heading "After the Invention of the Mirror." Malkowski's deeply insightful observations and thoughts open a horizon that spans from the smallest to the most significant matters. In his wealth of ideas and his joy in wordplay and wit, the poet also proves to be a great aphorist.