Every Man for Himself and God Against All

A Memoir

By: Werner Herzog, Michael Hofmann - translator

Narrated by: Werner Herzog

Legendary filmmaker and celebrated author Werner Herzog tells in his inimitable voice the story of his epic artistic career in a long-awaited memoir that is as inventive and daring as anything he has done before

Werner Herzog was born in September 1942 in Munich, Germany, at a turning point in the Second World War. Soon Germany would be defeated and a new world would have to be made out the rubble and horrors of the war. Fleeing the Allied bombing raids, Herzog’s mother took him and his older brother to a remote, rustic part of Bavaria where he would spend much of his childhood hungry, without running water, in deep poverty. It was there, as the new postwar order was emerging, that one of the most visionary filmmakers of the next seven decades was formed.

Until age 11, Herzog did not even know of the existence of cinema. His interest in films began at age 15, but since no one was willing to finance them, he worked the night shift as a welder in a steel factory. He started to travel on foot. He made his first phone call at age 17, and his first film in 1961 at age 19. The wildly productive working life that followed—spanning the seven continents and encompassing both documentary and fiction—was an adventure as grand and otherworldly as any depicted in his many classic films.

Every Man for Himself and God Against All is at once a personal record of one of the great and self-invented lives of our time, and a singular literary masterpiece that will enthrall fans old and new alike. In a hypnotic swirl of memory, Herzog untangles and relives his most important experiences and inspirations, telling his story for the first and only time.

Incredibly German

One of the most incredible audiobooks I've ever had the privilege of listening to. Just listen to it immediately and be amazed by the dark, fascinating perspective and mind of one of the greatest and at times most peculiar filmmakers of all time.

Brilliant

Werner Hertzog literally went everywhere with me while I played it. it was the best company ever.

Werner is as unique as he is interesting.

I loved the details. It is so refreshing to read and learn so much about a man whose passions and obsessions have taken him to the precipice and back so often. I have always admired his films and now this book. No one quite like this man. A very entertaining and inspiring read. What a life well lived.

Herzog is a legend and a treasure.

To experience this man’s wisdom and poetry straight from him, as opposed to through the filter of the perpetually recording lens of his brilliant fiction and documentary films, is a gift. Remarkable tales of a life lived completely and intensely. Highly recommended.

Must read about life

This journey about life must read book . Thanks to director Warner Herzog for sharing this amazing experience….