The Punx Book | Perkeo

It's done: The attempt at a true biography, the description of a life that often defied description, is nearing completion. It's about Ludwig Hanemann - Punx, one of the most dazzling figures on the German-language magic stage, and one of the most important. But what was he, really? A magician? An artist? A storyteller? An advertising man? An inventor? The creator of energizing potency aids and water-dispensing combs, newspaper clips, pop-top lids, trick milk cans, and even the mysterious robot colossus? A great mind, a sensitive narcissist, a linguistic genius, a man with an incredible sense of staging, full of empathy for those who admire him and completely lacking in empathy for those who think differently or audiences who make mistakes? A man who was generous and petty, who spun American sleights and lost his temper, who needed and cultivated admiration and friendships until he let them fall apart, often for trivial reasons. A man who loved Schopenhauer and read so much that one wonders when he found the time, who quoted ballads, wrote poetry himself, but also believed in flying saucers and aliens who abduct earthly women and draw circles in the grain, who was as much Cagliostro as Eulenspiegel, as much Münchhausen as Punx. He was the incarnation of that Faust he loved and who says of himself: "Two souls dwell, alas! in my breast, one seeks to separate from the other: One, in the raw lust of love, clings to the world with clinging organs; the other violently lifts itself from the dust to the realms of lofty ancestors."

Punx could hardly be described better. There are truly two souls sharing this man, and sometimes even four. This book attempts to showcase them all, to pay homage to him without worshipping him, and not to conceal his dark sides without condemning him. The taller a man grows toward the sun, the longer and darker the shadow his greatness casts in the light. It's like a law of nature. And it's certain that Punx still has an "unbelievable" amount to say to us, even if we have to "translate" it a bit today. In nine chapters, the book follows the timeline on which Punx travels through his life:

1 Who was Ludwig Hanemann? (Punx answers the question himself in interviews, and Borodin also has his say.)

2 The Hanemanns (The family of the grandfather's bread manufacturer, who marries the same woman three times because he divorces her twice, about Ludwig's birth in exile to avoid scandal, his growing up, his escape as a cabin boy, his return and training as a businessman and advertising salesman and his first contact with magic up to the turn of the century in 1933.)

3 Dark Times (Ludwig's rapid rise in the Magic Circle and his first fundamental thoughts on magic, while the world around him and the Magic Circle itself change drastically. He marries, becomes a father twice. Then, in 1939, war breaks out.)

4 War and Magic (Punx is drafted, sent to France and Russia as a soldier, and to England as a prisoner of war. He fills a notebook with thoughts and poems, becomes a Punx, and stages shows for fellow German prisoners, English guards, and children. His family falls apart at home. Upon his return from captivity, he is divorced. In the oppressive confines of a dreary one-room apartment in Frankfurt, he creates a magic show that transcends all previous boundaries and makes him famous. It premiered in 1948.)

5 Punx, the Incomprehensible (The incomprehensibility is manifested in the addition to his stage name. He owes his program, this chamber play of magic, the highest honor imaginable at the time: Punx is awarded the Hofzinser Ring, previously worn by Ottokar Fischer and Kalanag. Wearing this ring on his finger, he embarks on his first tour of Austria. These are the two decisive years, 1949–1950.)

6 The Miracle of the Economy (In this decade of the 1950s, Punx gains a foothold on the magic stage and in his old profession, enjoying success everywhere. He marries for the second time.)

7 Zenit (Punx has reached the top in both his careers; he can't go any higher. Towards the end of the 1960s, his activities shifted more and more toward writing.)

8 Punx Reloaded (After a long hiatus, he returned to the stage in the 1970s with a somewhat simplified program. He was again successful, but never reached his former heights.)

9 The quiet goodbye (Things are getting quieter around him—but only as far as his performances are concerned. He still gives seminars. But above all, he writes and travels. Then his strength wanes, and bitterness slowly creeps into his once imaginative world of thought.)

10 Punx's "Footprints in the Sand." (What does he leave us, and how can or should we deal with this legacy?)

The book is produced in the same style and quality as the first four volumes: A5 format, 504 pages, typeset in Indesign/Photoshop, offset printing, hardcover bound (sewn binding, headband) with ribbon bookmark and dust jacket.