The Salon Festival: Literature as a guest
October 11, 2026 | 4.30 PM
Konstantin Richter reads at Hofgut Georgenthal from his book
Three Hundred Men
The Rise and Fall of Deutschland AG
Three hundred German men, wrote Walther Rathenau at the beginning of the 20th century, determined the economic fortunes of the continent. He was referring to the close-knit network of bankers, industrial magnates and lobbyists that had emerged with the rise of companies such as Allianz, Krupp and Siemens. They knew one another, they spoke to one another – and they coordinated their actions. Right up until the 1990s, this network, known as ‘Deutschland AG’, shaped politics and corporate culture in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Konstantin Richter weaves the stories of these pioneers and magnates into a fast-paced, dramatic narrative. Through masterfully crafted episodes, he brings their world to life for us. He accompanies Nicolaus Otto and Gottlieb Daimler as they harvest vegetables, where the two compete just as fiercely as they do when developing new engines. Richter is at the table when the Mannesmann brothers are hatching outlandish schemes in Morocco, and he commutes with Thomas Middelhoff from Bielefeld to Essen when the latter sets off for the office in his helicopter. The result is a unique epic spanning some 150 years: from the start-up nation of the German Empire to the crisis-ridden present, from the rise of ‘Germany Inc.’ to its decline.
Konstantin Richter, born in 1971, is an author and journalist. He has written regularly for German- and English-language media such as The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The New York Times and Die Zeit. He has also published several books, most recently Die Kanzlerin. Eine Fiktion in 2017.
Photo credit: © Jürgen Bauer
The book is published by Suhrkamp Verlag.
German Non-Fiction Prize 2026
After the reading, do join us for a glass of sparkling wine and a small treat from the kitchen. Tickets are available via the Salonfestival.
Price per person: €34.00
Concession (under 24): €20.00