The Door-to-Door Bookstore (Der Buchspazierer)

They say books find their readers.

But sometimes they need someone to show them the way.

This is the story of a man

who for many years had lived only in a world of books.

The bookstore by the city gate

was the heart of that world for him.

He had read every book in it,

and so he always found exactly

what his customers wanted to read.

Carl Kollhoff's routine began every day

in the back room of the bookshop

and was the whole purpose of his life.

His route through the old town

was as varied as the people he visited.

And yet they shared one thing in common.

-(softly) Good day. -A love of reading.

So Carl did not live in a city of thousands of inhabitants

but in a village, the village of readers,

whose residents often lived close together

and yet knew nothing of one another.

One of those residents was Mr. von Hohenesch,

who lived all alone in the largest house in town.

Good day.

To Carl, however, he was Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

In fact, to Carl all people were figures from stories.

Like Captain Ahab.

Only Moby Dick was no whale.

He knew the twins

who were still inseparable.

And the queen from Snow White.

Who hopefully refrained from poisoning her apples.

And Hercules, for whom no packaging was an obstacle

and who asked the same question every time:

Would you like to come in and tell me something about the book?

No, thank you. Books must go to their people.

Carl never crossed that line.

Carl did not truly know any of his customers,

because to Carl Kollhoff all people remained

nothing but figures from books.

Carl lived with his books like a family made of paper.

He could no longer even remember

a time when he had shared his life with other people.

But perhaps Carl had simply

slammed shut the door to that memory.

And although Carl loved being alone with his books,

something had gradually crept into his life:

Loneliness.

And slowly that loneliness had grown larger and larger.

-Like a storm... -(thunder)

...rolling in from the distance.

This is the story of a man

who had to let fresh air into his life.

But who could have guessed that a little fresh air

would turn into a whirlwind?

All right. Listen up, everyone.

Ben, Ennis, phones away. Listen up.

Our atlases have arrived.

Who wants to go to the bookshop and pick them up?

I need three people.

Schascha. Thank you, very nice.

-The new girl, of course. -I'm not hauling books.

So, who wants to go with Schascha?

-(Woman) I know nothing about atlases. -They should've arrived yesterday.

-Mrs. Degkwitz said so. -Who's Mrs. Degkwitz?

She plays Farm Slaughter 77.

Hm, kid. Today's kickoff day here.

Our first day. Welcome to Orange Books, Entertainment Hooks.

Anyway: atlases.

Everything from yesterday, you'll have to ask Mr.

Don't know what-his-name-is. He's part of the inventory.

Ah, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

You're here to pick up the atlases, I suppose?

There we are, my friends.

One and two.

Nobody needs atlases anymore. Google Maps, man.

No one discovers new continents

without the courage to lose sight of old shores.

-Huh? -Andre Gide.

Nobel Prize in Literature, 1947. And quite rightly, if you ask me.

What's he on about?

Hi, Mom. We were in the bookstore today.

That man did the same thing you do when he picked up the books.

And then...

And then he picked it up.

And the boys really are too stupid.

But Mrs. Degkwitz is actually pretty nice.

Dad?

I'm Schascha. I'm nine years old.

You're probably not allowed to go with strangers.

You... aren't a stranger. I know you from the bookshop.

And I always see you from the window of our new apartment.

You're the book-walker.

If you know me, then you also know that I always walk alone.

Fine, then you walk alone and I walk alone next to you.

"Never am I alone.

Many who lived before me and strove away from me

wove and wove into my being."

Rainer Maria Rilke.

Self-discovery. What?

Ha! "Self-frogscovery."

-(knocking) -Ah.

Good day, Mr. Kollhoff.

I have something for you again.

"Self-frogscovery."

Self-frogscovery describes the path to the realization

of what makes up the inner core of the self.

At the heart of self-frogscovery lies the thesis

that every human being has a...

frog inside, which can only be awakened

through love, or in fairy tales, by a kiss.

The term first appeared in 1923

in Sigmund Freud's The Ego, the Id and... the Frog.

Bravo.

-Raspberry. -Oh, raspberry.

Ah, there you are.

It's set in Provence, and every single word

smells of lavender blossom, warm earth,

and sweet wood.

I hope there are mistakes in it, then I'll have another word for you.

I'm sure there will be.

What do your parents actually say about this?

My dad's at work. Mom would allow it.

-Aren't you afraid of me at all? -Nope.

I could be dangerous.

-You don't walk dangerous. -I don't walk dangerous?

-But I could catch children. -You couldn't.

Maybe in the old days, but not anymore.

So, you're not coming with me.

That's my final word.

And how did you like the last one?

Ah, fantastic.

From what I hear, this one is every bit as good

as the others in the series.

I heard about a novel.

It's night the whole time because it's set in Greenland.

And the main character has just lost her... child.

-Death Beneath the Icicle. -Yes.

I think that sounds... really good.

-(lively music) -(Man) Bye.

Hello. I'm looking for the book-walker.

-The what? -The man.

The one with the books.

-She means Mr. Kollhoff. -Oh, him.

-Mr. Karlhoff isn't here. -Kollhoff.

Whatsoever.

-Um, where does he live? -I don't know.

-I'm not allowed to tell you that. -She doesn't want to tell you.

-Why not? -Data protection.

Mrs. Bruckner-Siebenstädt in Hamburg wouldn't like it.

So I won't do it.

Nope.

Wait! Come on, I'll show you where the book-walker lives.

Ha... Hello?

-(furious ringing) -Who...

You certainly don't seem to lack persistence.

-What's persistence? -You.

Um... Just my luck.

-Whoa. -And badly brought up too.

-Have you read all of these? -Yes. And not just once.

Now go back home.

Um...

Why is it so dark in here?

It's better for reading. Under a lamp, I mean.

And fewer noises because the cur... Hey.

-...tains make sure... -Ah, I brought you a gift.

It's from the apple you lost today.

-Yes, because of you. -I know.

But if you plant it, you'll never have to buy apples again.

-So, you have to pour water in... -(loud rushing)

...in there, then it grows roots.

Mom and I used to do that. We had a big garden.

But Dad couldn't stand it there.

I see.

-Ah, and... water. -Yes.

All right, thank you. But now you really must go home.

There.

Down.

What...

-Which way? -Doesn't matter.

-Careful. Careful. -(Carl) Thank you.

Mr. Carl?

Your route is a bit shorter today.

I see.

Some customers want to pick up their books themselves.

In return they get a voucher.

It's better if they come in.

Then they'll also buy our non-books.