»Willen braucht man. Und Zigaretten«: Given the current state of the world, many of us sometimes find ourselves wondering how Helmut Schmidt would assess the situation today. Four of his close companions have asked themselves the same question. In intimate portraits, Thomas Karlauf, Giovanni di Lorenzo, Sandra Maischberger and Peer Steinbrück share their memories of the former chancellor in their book »Was würde Helmut Schmidt dazu sagen? Und was er wirklich gesagt hat« (Berlin Verlag) – as his editor and biographer, as editor-in-chief of DIE ZEIT, as his counterpart on television and as a fellow Social Democrat. In a conversation held in autumn 2025 to mark the tenth anniversary of Schmidt’s death, the four discussed how he might see the world today. For many people, his absence is deeply felt – as a moral and political compass in unsettled times.
This event takes place in German language.
Thomas Karlauf oversaw Schmidt’s book projects and wrote the biography »Helmut Schmidt – Die späten Jahre«. As editor-in-chief of DIE ZEIT, Giovanni di Lorenzo worked closely with the newspaper’s publisher and shared the legendary cigarette conversations with him. TV journalist Sandra Maischberger welcomed Schmidt onto her programme many times and made the documentary »Helmut Schmidt außer Dienst«. Former Federal Minister of Finance Peer Steinbrück worked for Schmidt in the Federal Chancellery for three years and is now chair of the board of trustees of the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation.
PERFORMERS
ThomasKarlauf talk
Giovanni di Lorenzo talk
SandraMaischberger talk
PeerSteinbrück talk
