A Life between Stage and Books

01/03/2006

Peter Radtke is an author and actor. And he suffers from brittle bone disease. He was born in 1943 with three fractures. After that he proved the doctors' prognoses to be wrong and exceeds his life expectancy by more than a thousand per cent.

Despite of his handicap Radtke made an amazing career which partly resulted in a PhD in Roman language and literature studies. His input for the equal rights for disabled people was honoured with the Bobby award. In 2003 he received the Bavarian Merit of Order.

Once a year, the author presents a literature TV show called "Normal” which is broadcasted on DSF, a German's TV station. In this programme Radtke introduces books from and about people with disabilities. Now he also delivers a literature review at REHACARE.de on a monthly basis in a new panorama section on the German site called "literature”. REHACARE.de spoke with the author about his passion for the written word.

REHACARE.de: How did you get the idea to present a literature TV show?

Radtke: I found the book presentations at the book fair in Frankfurt too superficial. We were always only able to bring together some sort of tables of content of the new publications because time was short. But we could not make any statements on the quality of the books. That is why I do a TV show on books for which I collect reviewer's copies all year long. That is how I can separate the wheat from the chaff. Obviously it is a subjective choice. My opinion does not have to be the same one as those of the viewers. It is just a tip.

REHACARE.de: Did you read a lot as a child?

Radtke: I gorged books. That was connected to the long stays in bed due to the many fractures I suffered. I read up to 300 pages a day and often not necessarily children's books. I often read those books that my mother lent from the library. After she had read the books I took a look of most of them, too.

REHACARE.de: Which was your favourite children's book?

Radtke: Dr. Doolittle, Winnie the Pooh and the book of the little Dott, which I got from my mom.

REHACARE.de: Which authors do you prefer?

Radtke: I am a very conservative reader. I like classic authors like Thomas Mann, Edgar Allan Poe or Stefan Zweig who I read in my free time.

REHACARE.de: How many books do you own?

Radtke: I have a library in my summer residence in which all shelves are filled with books. In my flat in Munich I own another two to three hundred books.

REHACARE.de: Where and when do you read best?

Radtke: I read best in my summer residence or on holidays. From morning time until the evening. I find it horrible to having to stop reading because of work. If I start reading a book I want to continue until the end. It is important for me to have time to bite myself through the lecture. I often notice that one gets bored during the first 20 to 30 pages. But after a certain time I get accustomed to the style and accept things so that I finally like the book.

REHACARE.de: How would you describe your reading behaviour?

Radtke: I start the day with the newspaper which I read during breakfast. In the office I take a look through publishing prospectuses where I am looking for new books which could be of interest to me. In the evening I read daily news on my computer. They are more up to date than those in the newspaper. Later in the evening I read the books in bed which I need for the literature broadcast.

REHACARE.de: What makes books important to you?

Radtke: As a child and teenager I read them under a different aspect: to make experiences which I could not make in my own life. Now I want to be inspired for my work as an author.

REHACARE.de: Do you believe that people with disabilities read other books than those without handicaps?

Radtke: I don't really think so. The preferences are similar but I guess that disabled people emphasise other aspects. I would not guarantee for this analysis. But I can imagine that areas which are underrepresented in one's own life could be favoured such as travelogues in order to compensate. Or romance novels, too.

REHACARE.de: Thank you for the interview, Mister Radtke.

- Further information on Peter Radtke at: www.peter-radtke.de
- Click here for the reading in German of "Ein Hallo aus der Glasglocke"!