Peter Handke was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2019. He is one of the most controversial and prolific authors of our time. His public image is characterized by extremes: high priest of art, solitary monk, friend of Serbs. How much truth lies behind these images? His life also appears to be a balancing act between extremes: between solitude and love, misanthropy and ambition for fame, language and politics, dream and reality. Malte Herwig conducted extensive conversations with the poet, his relatives, companions, and adversaries, and gained insight into unpublished texts by Handke. This resulted in an enlightening and controversial biography, now supplemented and updated with a comprehensive chapter and many new photos. It includes numerous illustrations: unpublished photos, facsimiles of diary pages, as well as drawings and sketches by Handke. The only comprehensive biography of the controversial poet.