The celebrated German satirist Marc-Uwe Kling, known for his popular “Kangaroo Chronicles” series, continues to carry the imprint of a frugal upbringing, despite his significant literary success. In an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ), Kling reflected on his childhood experiences with financial constraints, stating that the lessons learned about scarcity remain deeply ingrained. He confessed to ongoing discomfort with expenditures like taking taxis.
Kling’s remarkable career began with a remarkably modest start: a performance for which he earned just one euro. He recounted performing his first solo program at the “Scheinbar” a Berlin variety theatre, where the rental fee was 100 euros. “I earned exactly 101 euros with the program” he explained. “A one-euro job.
His initial professional fee was similarly modest, reportedly amounting to just 32 euros for an evening’s performance. “It doesn’t sound like much” Kling admitted, “but I was thrilled to receive 32 euros for reading a text.
Beyond professional endeavors, Kling maintains a mindful approach to personal consumption. He adheres to a vegetarian diet and actively seeks to minimize his reliance on fossil fuels, offsetting unavoidable usage. His family strives for a carbon-neutral lifestyle. However, he emphasized caution against placing undue emphasis on individual responsibility in addressing climate change. “The individual responsibility for the climate crisis is a trap” he noted. “We can’s save the world by ourselves. It has to be solved systemically and politically”. Kling further revealed that he cancelled his Amazon account during the writing of his novel “QualityLand”.
