Monika Griefahn

  • Home
  • Monika Griefahn
    • Dr. Monika Griefahn,
      Former Minister
    • Curriculum vitae (PDF)
    • Downloads
    • References
    • References appointments
    • Publications
    • Photos
    • Archives German Parliament
  • Volunteering
  • institute for media,
    environment, culture
    • Cradle to Cradle
  • Blog
    • Politics
    • Culture
      and
      Media
    • Opinion
    • Cradle
      to
      Cradle
    • Right
      Livelihood
      Award
  • Appointments
  • Contact
    • Site Notice/Imprint
    • Privacy Policy
  • English
    • Deutsch
You are here: Home / Culture and Media / An evening with Martin Walker

22. June 2022 | Monika Griefahn

An evening with Martin Walker

How surprised we are, the participants of an exploratory trip about biodiversity, when in the restaurant “Chez Julien” in Paunat in the Périgord, the writer and journalist Martin Walker actually appears.

Martin Walker is Scottish and has had a varied professional life. He is the author of the million-selling Bruno series about a village policeman in southern France. So we’re at Walker’s favorite restaurant, and he’s there, too. He readily gives the group insight into how he works: Each of his 14 volumes in the Bruno series has a specific theme, which he researches intensively. He usually takes nine months to write a book and publishes about one volume a year. Sometimes he works on two books at the same time, for example, when a nonfiction book is added: a book about Bill Clinton, a cookbook together with his wife, or a travel guide through the Périgord, as it will be published this fall.

COMMITMENT TO THE ARTIFICAL LANDSCAPE OF PERIGORD

On this evening, I very much admired the energy with which Martin Walker is committed to this still fantastically beautiful artificial landscape. He wants to support tourism so that the region, which is located away from the metropolises (about one and a half hours from Bordeaux and three hours from Clermont-Ferrand), can continue to develop and at the same time maintains its beautiful nature.

The group listens to Martin Walker. Photo Yvonne Berardi

The group listens to Martin Walker. Photo Yvonne Berardi

At the same time, the stories that the writer tells in the Bruno novels give a good insight into the history of the region. Many of his male characters are based on real-life models: A “real” policeman from the small town of Le Bugue, near which Walker spends part of the year, was the godfather for “Bruno.” He doesn’t have a concrete role model for women, he claims, although his daughter says she knows them.

25 YEARS FOR THE GUARDIAN

We are all very impressed by this dedicated man, who was a journalist for the British daily newspaper Guardian for 25 years. He wrote about Russia, the Cold War, the United States. He also got to the bottom of many other topics in detailed articles. Walker says he also participated in Sigmar Gabriel’s and Angela Merkel’s “workshops on the future”. He says it was very exciting for him to see the German government using such a method. Future workshops are comprehensive approaches that start without prohibitions on thinking and are used to jointly develop solutions to social challenges.

I was also surprised that, as a Scot, he speaks perfect German and French. He has just made a reading tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland and enjoyed it very much, he chats with us.

I enjoyed preparing for the trip with his latest novel and then meeting interesting people as well. Martin Walker has lived part-time in the Périgord for 25 years. One task he has set for himself is to visit all the winemakers in the region. He has already managed 300 of the 1100 and has come to an amazing realization: He has not met an unhappy winemaker! I can confirm this. I have not met 300, but only two, but was also thrilled by their enthusiasm.

Thank you, Martin Walker, for the exciting insights this evening.

Filed Under: Culture and Media, General Article

Please share this in your community:

« Municipalities as important drivers for a true circular economy
Southern Africa on the road to climate neutrality? »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Please stay in touch!

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Phone
  • xing
  • YouTube

Insights

Cradle to Cradle Congress 2023

Cradle to Cradle Congress 2023 - Logo

Cradle to Cradle Congress 2023: For the eighth time, the Cradle to Cradle NGO invites around 1,000 participants to exchange and network at the International Cradle to Cradle Congress 2023 in September. Please find more information here.


eFuels

Synthetic fuels are one of the decisive factors for the energy transition away from fossile fuels. That is why I am committed to the further development and practical use of eFuels and became a member of the Sounding Board of the eFuel Alliance in May 2021.
English website of the eFuel Alliance


Climate committee

Constituent session: Photo: City of Buchholz / Helms

In May 2021, the climate committee was constituted in the climate forum at my place of residence in Buchholz in the Nordheide. I am pleased to be chairwoman of the advisory board! The city has set itself the goal of becoming climate neutral and there is still a lot to do to achieve this. The committee advises the municipal  administration on fundamental questions of climate policy.
To the article on the Buchholz website (in German)


Kombo der Preisträger 2022

Right Livelihood Award

They stand up against violence and climate change and address the most pressing questions of our time: The 2022 recipients of the Right Livelihood Award are: Venezuela’s Cecosesola, Uganda’s Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), Ukraine’s Oleksandra Matviichuk/Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), and Somalia’s Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman. Read more about the “Alternative Nobel Prize” here.


Federal Order of Merit

After the award ceremony, Olaf Lies, Monika Griefahn and Rainer Rempe stand together. Photo: Frank Ossenbrink

After the award ceremony, Olaf Lies, Monika Griefahn and Rainer Rempe stand together. Photo: Frank Ossenbrink

Our CEO Dr. Monika Griefahn received the Federal Order of Merit. Please read more about her biography and about the award ceremony in our blog.


Blog Archive

  • Home
  • Monika Griefahn
  • Volunteering
  • institute for media, environment, culture
  • Service
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Site Notice/Imprint
  • Privacy Policy

 

Logo Monika Griefahn GmbH/institut medien umwelt kultur Monika Griefahn GmbH
PO Box 1135
21231 Buchholz
Germany
Phone: +49 4181 4069262
Email:
Website: www.institut-muk.de
  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • xing
  • YouTube
Customise Privacy Settings
Copyright © 2013–2023 | Zurück zum Seitenanfang/Back to top | Alle Rechte vorbehalten! – All rights reserved.