Fiction
September 2020
Men in Camel-Hair Coats
by Elke Heidenreich
When Elke Heidenreich talks about clothes, she talks about life itself in her inimitably tragi-comic style: how she was at sixteen, friends, love and separation. Stories in which everyone can recognise themselves, in worn jeans, a delightful but faded blouse – or at worst, a camel-hair coat. Elke Heidenreich knows her jackets from her trousers and her skirt from her hats – but above all, she’s a connoisseur of people. Everyone wants to look good, but isn’t there much more going on below the surface? Why are photos of us wearing pleated skirts in our youth so embarrassing? Why do we buy things that don’t fit or suit us? And why do we fall for well-dressed men who turn out to be fools? The greatest love stories have fallen at the first hurdle, all because of a garish shirt!.
