Interview With the Podcast Hosts of Berliner Zimmer: “Several guests managed to lead us astray” – The Germany Magazine of the Goethe-Institut – #DeutschlandNoFilter

In the “Berliner Zimmer” podcast, Judith Gridl and Klaus Rathje invite authors to talk about literature – and to play a game of lies. In this interview, they talk about unusual stories, long follow-up conversations and who they would like to invite one day.

How do writers work? How do their stories come to life? And what happens when you ask them to lie? These are the questions Klaus Rathje and Judith Gridl explore in their podcast “Berliner Zimmer” (Berlin Room). They invite authors with a connection to Berlin to personal conversations — and their “lying game” guarantees plenty of surprises and entertaining anecdotes.

If your podcast “Berliner Zimmer” were an actual room, what would you find in it?

Klaus Rathje: Definitely a comfortable sofa. A “Berliner Zimmer” always connects the front house with the side wing, and often the library was located there. So, books and a sofa. Creating a cozy atmosphere is important to us.

Your literary podcast Berliner Zimmer has been around since 2021. How did the idea come about?

Judith Gridl: The podcast was created during the Corona period. We both love interviewing writers, getting a glimpse over their shoulders — also because we write ourselves and can learn something from them.

Is the conversation with the authors what defines your podcast?

Klaus Rathje: Yes, that’s what sets us apart from most independent literary podcasts. Each episode we have a guest whom we interview for about an hour. It’s about meeting fascinating people and learning more about them and their work. We just want an entertaining conversation and a good atmosphere.

Judith Gridl: That’s why we always start the podcast by giving our guest a small gift. It always creates a good atmosphere and provides great conversation starters.

And it’s always a personal, face-to-face meeting. So, do you only invite Berlin-based authors?

Klaus Rathje: The guests have to live in Berlin or have a connection to the city. After all, we want to sit together with the authors in the so-called “Berliner Zimmer.” That’s part of what shapes the conversation. Also, the pre- and post-conversations are important to us — and often very funny. For example, we met Volker Kutscher in the morning and had breakfast with him for an hour and a half after the recording. Other guests stayed even longer afterwards, four or eight hours, enjoying a bottle of wine or two with us..

Judith Gridl: There were guests who really drank us under the table.

Julia Franck, Felicitas Hoppe, Volker Kutscher — your podcast features very renowned authors. How do you decide whom to invite?

Judith Gridl: The deciding factor is who we personally find interesting or exceptional. Often the starting point is our own reading, sometimes also publisher previews or readings.

Klaus Rathje: Of course, we listen to the blauschwarzberlin podcast as well. It often gives us good suggestions.

A special feature of your podcast is the “lying game.” Your guests tell three anecdotes from their lives — two true, one invented. Do you give them this task in advance or are the stories spontaneous?

Klaus Rathje: Most guests prepare this in advance, and many really put a lot of effort into it! Wladimir Kaminer had glowing eyes during the game and could have played it all day long. Special stories come out because these are usually anecdotes you wouldn’t ask about otherwise, since they are so personal.

Which anecdote from a guest surprised you the most?

Judith Gridl: Wladimir Kaminer’s story, because it suddenly got so serious. It was about his grandfather during the Nazi era — I didn’t expect that. Another story that stayed with me is from John von Düffel.

Klaus Rathje: In the very first episode, von Düffel told us how, as a teenager, he rode his bike to London to present a manuscript to a publisher there. You immediately get a sense of what kind of person he is!

What was the best lie — or who was the best liar?

Klaus Rathje: Several guests managed to lead us astray. John von Düffel is right at the top. Christian Dittloff also gave a great performance. We visited him at home and sat in his kitchen. He told us how, as a child, he went to St. Pauli football games with his father and continued the tradition after his father’s death. To back this up, he had a St. Pauli coffee mug on the table. He pushed it forward like proof. It was well-planned but somewhat obvious. That’s how we uncovered it as a lie.

Was there a conversation that completely changed your view of a work or a person?

Judith Gridl: For me, it was with Wladimir Kaminer. I — to put it bluntly — underestimated him. His stories seem harmless at first reading, but then I realized how deep they are. He is also very knowledgeable about dramaturgy and literature, especially Russian literature.

Klaus Rathje: For me, it was Shelly Kupferberg — not her as a person, but her book Isidor, in which she wrote about her great-granduncle — a Holocaust story. She originally wanted to write a non-fiction book, but during the process, she realized it was material for a novel. The way she told it was very enlightening and moving.

Who would you love to invite someday?

Klaus Rathje: Kehlmann! I wouldn’t call him my favorite author, but I’ve read all his books and find his career as a writer very exciting.

Judith Gridl: Lutz Seiler — I really love his books. Kruso and Stern 111 are wonderfully written.

June 2025