Anyone who knows East Prussia and its people will find great joy in this volume. With humor and a smile, Kirst chats about the joy of celebrating, the pleasure of hearty and substantial things, and the principle of "No quarrels, please." With a certain pride, he recounts the great figures from his homeland, and the book concludes without resignation, reminding us to remember landscapes like East Prussia as possible last paradises. It is a book full of humor, but also steeped in nostalgia. While reading, we feel at home again. Hans Hellmut Kirst, the most internationally successful German author of the post-war period, was born on December 5, 1914, in Osterode, East Prussia, as the son of a gendarmerie officer. From 1933 to 1945, Kirst served as a professional soldier.