The largest paperback publisher in Europe. Joachim Kaiser Heinz Friedrich (1922-2004) was a grand seigneur among German publishers and essayists. He successfully pursued no less than seven professions without formal education or vocational training. In his autobiography, he recounts his youth in a small village in Hesse, his time at high school, and the cultural life in Darmstadt, the formative war experiences as a soldier on the Eastern Front with life-threatening injuries, the "Zero Hour" in the rubble of Europe, and his existential longing for education and humanity. The cultural reconstruction, in which Heinz Friedrich was intensively involved, is described in detail - as a journalist, writer, founder of an artists' association, editor at Hessischer Rundfunk, member of "Gruppe 47", chief editor at S. Fischer Verlag, program director of Radio Bremen, and publisher.