In English-speaking countries very little is known about magic in Germany, let alone in other countries like Poland, Switzerland or Spain. Unless a magician from one of these countries attends conventions in Britain or America regularly, and unless he speaks English, he will rarely be known. The two German magicians I want to talk about in these Lecture Notes - one from each side of the former Berlin wall - are perhaps the two best known in Germany today. Their names are Joro and Jochen Zmeck - how many of my readers, however, have ever heard of them?
Joro's real name is Bruno Hennig. He is an amateur because he has a full-time job at a bank in Oldenburg in North-Western Germany. He is remarkable for two things: he never learned English and he never learned to drive. He is also remarkable, of course, for his excellent magic performances, his numerous publications and his lectures which have taken him all over Germany. In May 1993 the Joro Book was published, written by two young friends of his. Let me mention one thing which should never be forgotten: it was Joro who invented the "Floating Cork" made famous by Fred Kaps and Ken Brooke to whom he sold it.
Joachim or Jochen Zmeck (please pronounce it "Tsmeck") is his real name. He lives in East Berlin and until a few years ago, before the wall came down, he was the foremost stage magician of East Germany. Now, after reunification, he is still one of the foremost stage magicians of Germany. He is a professional, has written lots of best-selling books on magic as well as a series called "Tips and Tricks" for an East German magazine (Zauberkunst) which is still going strong. He knows English (and drives) and has one of the largest magical libraries in the country.