Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who led Germany from December 2021 until May 2025, has not yet read the memoirs of former leader Angela Merkel. When the “Rheinische Post”‘s Friday edition asked whether he had read Merkel’s 2024 book “Freiheit”, he replied simply: “Not yet”. He added that he does not know the books of other colleagues and, when prompted about a novel by Robert Habeck, he answered: “No”. He shrugged, saying he might come across it “later”.
Scholz is known as an enthusiastic reader, but he describes himself as non‑systematic. “I don’t read in order” he told the paper. “I pick up books at random-whatever catches my eye in a feuilleton or in a catalogue-and let that lead me to the next title”. He noted that his reading habits varied over the years. When he was deputy chair of the Jungsozialisten, for example, he devoted himself solely to science‑fiction, buying most of his books at a station kiosk for the Hamburg-Bonn trains.
During the upcoming Lit‑Cologne event, Scholz will appear on Monday to discuss the books that have inspired him.
