Who says the Germans haven't a sense of humour? That august, magisterial weekly newspaper from Hamburg, Die Zeit, has recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. It is occasionally cited in this space, more usually when it touches on forestry, wild life, agriculture, tourism and such appropriate matters. It is a hefty publication, broad sheet, and normally something over eighty pages. It is strong on economics, finance and politics literature, too. So where the humour? Well, the Editor in Chief, Dr Theo Sommer has a leading article in the colour supplement of the issue of February 23rd, in which he tells us of the hard early days when the paper was produced (under British license, for Hamburg was in the British Zone of Occupation) from two rooms in a bombed out building. The first issue was of eight pages and 25,000 copies were printed. "The first buyers, writes Dr Sommer, "were, above all, fishmongers and vegetable hawkers who needed wrapping paper for their goods.
About half a million people now buy it each week, for reasons quite unconnected with fish or vegetables. To be sceptical but not spiteful or malicious, is one watchword. Imagine the prospect in 1946, among the rubble. "The future lies in front of us like a wall of darkness and despair," wrote the founders, half a century ago. "We can hope only to kindle a small light."
That they have done. Apart from Dr Sommer, the publishers are Helmut Schmidt and Marion Countess Donhoff.
She is originally from East Prussia that was, now in Poland. The headline to a two page interview with her is "This news paper has become my home."
But she says to her interviewers, "The place is always East Prussia", and she tells of growing up among people who were to her, at the same time conservative and liberal. Her father got daily the Figaro and Le Tempos from France, the London Times as well as German papers. In 1944 she went to Berlin to see one of the anti Hitler conspirators. He had been executed two days before. She has written about the famous Kreisau circle a book For Honour's Sake. (Um der Ehre willen).
The man behind the whole conception of Die Zeit, Dr Gerd Bucerius, died just five months before the half century celebration.
This issue contains two persuasive advertisements for Ireland "prehistoric monuments, empty beaches. . . and the pubs. .and so on.