Alexander Kluge is the author and director of 23 films and countless TV shows, but he once said, "my main work is my books." The thousands of stories he has written over five decades seem almost overwhelming. With around one hundred narratives, this reading book offers a representative selection for the first time, making it an ideal introduction to Kluge's literary work. It covers a wide range of themes and motifs - from the cosmos as cinema and the longing of cells, to the execution of an elephant and the project Homunculus, to a strange Robinsonade and a wonderful rescue from the depths. Yet, one thought remains at the center: Happiness is fleeting, but the born bearer of hope, humanity, seeks it persistently, recklessly, and under the most adverse circumstances. A current conversation with the author about this.