He is undoubtedly one of the greatest humorists the country has produced. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, Stern honored Loriot with “a kind of homage” in which his companions had their say. But numerous other media also remembered the comedian, who died twelve years ago.
Axel Hacke probably wrote the most impressive tribute in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The columnist starts from the – at first glance – surprising thesis that the core of Loriot’s work is the tragic – and not the comic. Humor, as Loriot understands it, is not the opposite of tragedy, but rather has a deep inner connection with it: “Every cheerfulness in life that does not consist of banal fun has its roots here.”
By repeatedly holding a mirror up to us and showing us the human drama, Loriot gives us consolation: “I don’t think an author can do more for people: comfort by making their own laughter possible. Maybe we should remember that “Consolation is one of the most beautiful acts of kindness that exists between people. It requires that you have listened to them and looked at them. That is exactly what Loriot’s work contains everywhere.”
Similar to Hacke, Michael Schäfermeyer on SWR also emphasizes the attitude that Loriot takes towards people: the humorist is on an equal level. “He often looks very similar to the subject of his comedy, doesn’t look down on the characters he cartoonishly exaggerates, but seems to become a part of them.” Loriot’s criticism remains “always mild in tone, almost understanding.”
Loriot shows the inevitable failure of human communication, writes Hubert Spiegel in his article in the “FAZ”, which is entitled, with good reason, “The Human Deficiency.” “He portrayed this failure again and again, in countless facets, a pedantic chronicler of human comedy and at the same time a Prussian anarch who liked to turn things on their head. In agreement with Hacke and Schäfermeyer, Spiegel also emphasizes the consolation in Loriot’s look: ” We still love him for the fact that he still knew how to look at us so leniently and lovingly.”
“And then Loriot eventually got me.” In her personal text in the “tageszeitung”, Nina Apin describes how, after initial skepticism, she became a supporter: “In any case, I too was now sufficiently German to be able to enjoy the tender attacks of irony that Loriot had on the whole (West) German philistine madness was unleashed, from games evening to house music to a date at your favorite Italian restaurant – ‘Don’t say anything now, Hildegard’!” writes the Bavarian native in her homage, which is worth reading and proves: You don’t have to be born a Loriot fan, But in the end he gets (almost) everyone.
