Manfred Papst's Language Column Anthology 'Kopf und Kragen' Published

Manfred Papst, known for his weekly column 'Zugabe' in NZZ am Sonntag for 24 years, has released an anthology of his writings titled 'Kopf und Kragen. 99 unerbetene Ratschläge zur Sprache und ihren Tücken' (Limmat-Verlag, Zurich, 2026, 207 pages, CHF 29.90). The collection features 99 pieces that explore language, education, and digressions with a light, knowledgeable, and good-humored tone. Papst avoids nagging or condescension, instead engaging with popular culture and classics alike, referencing figures such as Adorno, ABBA, Karl Kraus, Robert Gernhardt, William Shakespeare, and Drafi Deutscher. His curiosity drives him to examine idioms, etymologies, puns, dialect words, metaphors, inscriptions, analogies, quotations, old sentences, and new words, often stretching them to absurdity. He admits that while he once played with words, now words play with him. The anthology's title references the phrase 'um Kopf und Kragen reden' (to talk one's head off), which Papst notes originally referred to the guillotine. A critique of the collection is that it largely omits the darker side of language—how it can express hatred, contempt, and bureaucratize horror, as Kurt Tucholsky might have asked: 'Where is the negative?'