Ernst Schumacher's life unfolded beyond conventional templates. Born in Bavaria in 1921 and raised there, he became a committed communist in 1949 and permanently moved to East Germany in 1962. There, he made a name for himself as a Brecht scholar, university lecturer, and theater critic. Nevertheless, he was never free from homesickness for Bavaria. Schumacher always thought in terms of a united Germany and criticized the division of Germany, even when Honecker accepted it. At the same time, he always kept an eye on the non-European world, particularly the rising China. Ernst Schumacher's autobiographical writings from five decades are an impressive document of experienced and endured history.