Elke Heidenreich's 2003 Retort to Denis Scheck's Book Toss on ARD's Druckfrisch

In February 2003, Denis Scheck launched the ARD literary program Druckfrisch, where he notoriously discarded Elke Heidenreich's book Der Welt den Rücken into a trash can, dismissing it as appealing only to "old Schachteln." That July, Heidenreich responded fiercely in a Süddeutsche Zeitung portrait interview with journalist Evelyn Roll, labeling Scheck a "hysterisches Rolltreppendickerchen" and a "Tchibo-Literatur-Vertreter." She suggested he remain with his 30,000 viewers to repeatedly demonstrate his cleverness. This exchange exemplifies how verbal outbursts have historically turned literary criticism into a spectacle itself. Scheck's act of trashing books follows a long tradition of critical provocations. The incident highlights the theatrical nature of feuilleton disputes. Details of these legendary critic transgressions are explored further in the current issue of Freitag.